Ctiucatfonal 


EDITED  BY  HENRY  SUZZALLO 

PROFESSOR   OF  THE   PHILOSOPHY  OF   EDUCATION 
TEACHERS   COLLEGE,   COLUMBIA   UNIVERSITY 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 


BY 

ADA  WILSON  TROWBRIDGE 

OF 
THE  HOME  SCHOOL,  PROVIDENCE,  R.  I. 

WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  BY 
RANDALL  J.  CONDON 

SUPERINTENDENT  OF  SCHOOLS,  CINCINNATI,   OHIO 


HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN   COMPANY 

BOSTON,    NEW   YORK   AND  CHICAGO 

fctoetftoe  fcrej^  Cambribne 


COPYRIGHT,   IQIJ,  BY  ADA  WILSON  TROWBRIDGE 
ALL  RIGHTS  RESERVED 


EDUCATION  DEFT. 


All  life  moving  to  one  measure  — 

Daily  bread,  daily  bread — 

Bread  of  life  and  bread  of  labor,  ] 

Bread  of  bitterness  and  sorrow, 

Hand-to-mouth,  and  no  to-morrow, 

Dearth  for  housemate,  dearth  for  neighbor  — 

Yet,  when  all  the  babes  are  fed, 

Love,  are  there  not  crumbs  to  treasure  ? " 

Wilfrid  Wilson  Gibson 


543602 


CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION    .    .     .  Randall  J.  Condon    vii 

THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

Ada  Wilson  Trowbridge 

I.   SOME  ASPECTS  OF  MODERN  EDUCATION      i 

II.  THE  NECESSITY  FOR  Two  DIFFERENT 
TYPES  OF  TRAINING — FOR  INDUSTRY 
AND  FOR  THE  HOME 7 

III.  THE  HOME  AS  AN  INSTITUTIONAL  UNIT 

AND    THE    HOME    SCHOOL    AN    EX- 
PRESSION OF  IT 13 

IV.  THE  HOME  AS  AN   ECONOMIC   INSTITU- 

TION, AND  THE  RELATION  OF  TRADE 
AND  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION    ...     18 

V.   SPECIAL    THINGS   TO    BE   ACCOMPLISHED 

THROUGH   THE    HOME    SCHOOL    ...      30 

VI.   A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  THE  WORK  IN 

THE  HOME  SCHOOL 41 

VII.   THE    HOME    SCHOOL    OF    PROVIDENCE, 

RHODE  ISLAND 58 


CONTENTS 

VIII.   HOUSEKEEPING    NOTES    USED    AT    THE 

PROVIDENCE  HOME  SCHOOL     ...    73 

IX.   SOME    DISTINCTIVE    METHODS   OF   THE 

HOME  SCHOOL 88 

X.  CONCLUSION 94 

OUTLINE 97 


INTRODUCTION 

BY  RANDALL  J.  CONDON 

IN  one  of  my  reports  as  Superintendent  of  the 
Everett,  Massachusetts,  schools,  written  in  De- 
cember, 1900,  I  said,  looking  back  over  the  edu- 
cational developments  of  the  last  quarter  of  the 
nineteenth  century  and  forward  to  the  opening 
years  of  the  twentieth  :  — 

But  the  greatest  gain  of  all  —  and  the  one  most 
necessary  —  will  come  through  the  establishment  of 
more  vital  relations  between  the  pupil  and  the  various 
subjects  of  instruction.  He  will  be  brought  into  closer 
touch  with  the  world  in  which  he  lives ;  the  school 
will  be  not  so  much  an  institution  by  itself,  but  will 
stand  more  as  an  interpretation  of  life  and  of  the  in- 
stitutions of  which  the  pupil  is  a  part;  it  will  not  so 
much  fit  him  for  a  life  he  is  to  live  in  later  years  as 
it  will  teach  him  how  to  live,  and  to  interpret  the  life 
he  now  has.  It  will  find  or  make  opportunity  for  the 
expression  of  the  things  taught  in  terms  of  actual 
living,  not  at  a  subsequent  period,  but  during  the 
years  of  instruction.  In  the  past,  household  duties 
have  been  taught  most  effectively  and  thoroughly  by 
giving  children  an  opportunity  to  participate  in  the 
household  work  —  by  instructing  them  in  this  work 
vii 


i     ..-•<; 
~>d     ^  V 

INTRODUCTION 

—  not  teaching  them  about  it.  The  apprenticeship 
system,  not  so  very  long  ago,  was  the  recognized 
preparation  through  which  a  young  man  was  intro- 
duced to  a  profitable  occupation.  He  learned  his  work 
by  working  at  it.  Modern  social  forms  and  industrial 
organizations  have  largely  eliminated  from  the  pres- 
ent courses  of  study  these  two  vital  subjects  of  in- 
struction, —  home-making  and  wage-earning,  —  for 
they  were  as  really  a  part  of  each  young  person's 
education  as  though  they  had  been  taught  in  the 
schoolroom ;  and  more  so,  because  taught  in  reality 
and  not  formally. 

We  must  and  shall  find  out  how  to  supply  these 
omissions  from  our  present  system  of  education.  We 
must  teach  our  young  women  how  to  make  homes, 
and  our  young  men  how  to  support  them,  and  this 
solution  must  be  the  problem  of  future  education. 

To  this  end  there  must  be  established  a  closer  re- 
lation between  school  instruction  and  the  industrial 
pursuits. 

Realizing  that  sewing,  cooking,  and  manual 
training,  as  then  practiced,  were  far  from  meet- 
ing the  real  needs  of  the  situation  —  that  they 
were  not  supplying  the  vital  incentives  for  men- 
tal activity  and  manual  dexterity  that  are  afforded 
by  real  occupations ;  and  believing  that  educa- 
tional procedure  should  be  strengthened  on  the 
expression  side  by  connecting  the  work  of  the 
viii 


INTRODUCTION 

school  with  the  work  of  the  community,  that 
there  might  be  afforded  the  largest  possible 
opportunity  for  the  application  of  the  principles 
and  theory  taught  in  the  classroom  —  with  these 
ideas  quite  clearly  in  mind,  I  closed  my  report 
for  that  year  with  a  brief  discussion  of  the  need 
for  a  more  direct  and  intimate  connection  be- 
tween school  instruction  and  the  home  and  indus- 
trial pursuits.  In  that  discussion  occurred  the 
sentence  quoted  above  —  "We  must  and  shall 
find  out  how  to  supply  these  omissions  from  our 
present  system  of  education." 

We  have  made  substantial  progress  in  that 
direction  in  twelve  years,  but  we  have  found  so 
far  only  a  partial  answer  to  the  problem.  In  the 
remaining  years  of  the  first  quarter  of  this  twen- 
tieth century  we  shall  come  much  nearer  the 
final  solution. 

In  1903,  I  prepared  with  the  help  of  several 
teachers,  and  issued  at  Helena,  Montana,  a  course 
for  girls  in  the  seventh  and  eighth  grades,  en- 
titled "The  Girl  in  the  Home." 

An  attempt  was  made  to  answer  through  that 
outline  the  question:  "What  a  Girl  Needs  to 
Know."  Under  the  first  division — "In  relation 
to  herself  "  —  she  was  to  be  taught  how  to  make 
and  care  for  her  own  wardrobe,  including  the 
ix 


INTRODUCTION 

selection  of  materials ;  also  mending,  making- 
over,  washing,  ironing,  etc.  ;  how  to  dress  for 
different  occasions ;  health  and  simplicity  in 
dress  ;  a  girl's  work-basket,  what  it  should  con- 
tain, and  how  to  keep  it ;  personal  hygiene ;  a 
special  consideration  was  to  be  given  to  a  girl's 
room  —  what  it  should  contain  and  how  it  should 
be  arranged  and  cared  for. 

Under  the  second  division  —  "  In  her  relation 
to  the  family  "  —  were  to  be  considered  her  privi- 
leges and  duties  as  a  daughter ;  her  relations  to 
brothers  and  sisters.  It  included  the  care  and 
arrangement  of  the  dining-room,  silver,  and  table- 
linen;  the  kitchen;  a  study  of  raw  materials; 
cooking,  and  the  arranging  of  simple  menus; 
nursing,  and  the  care  of  the  sick-room ;  what  to 
do  in  emergencies,  etc. 

Under  the  third  division  —  "In  relation  to  her 
friends" — was  to  be  considered  a  girl's  social 
life ;  receiving  and  entertaining  ;  the  selection  of 
friends  ;  balancing  of  home  and  social  duties  ;  her 
conduct  on  the  street  and  at  social  gatherings. 

In  addition  to  these  three  main  divisions  there 
were  sections  devoted  to  the  study  of  home 
decorations  ;  home  occupations  ;  and  the  homes 
of  other  lands  and  times  as  compared  with  the 
American  home  of  the  present  day. 


INTRODUCTION 

This  indicates  briefly  the  scope  and  purpose 
of  the  work.  The  girl  herself  was  to  be  the  cen- 
ter of  the  teaching,  and  she  was  to  be  taught  to 
think  of  herself  in  relation  to  her  home  and  to 
society.  Her  instruction  was  to  react  directly 
upon  herself  and  was  to  be  expressed  in  terms 
of  work  and  of  conduct.  The  following  sentences 
from  the  outline  —  which  is  before  me  as  I  write 
—  will  indicate  the  spirit  in  which  the  plan  was 
to  be  undertaken  :  — 

If  the  subject  is  to  be  taught  in  such  a  way  that 
there  shall  result  from  it  more  vital  living,  it  should 
be  made  real.  To  this  end  there  must  be  established 
a  closer  union  of  home  and  school.  They  are  not  to 
be  considered  as  separate,  but  as  parts  of  one  plan 
of  instruction.  Teachers  and  mothers  must  come  to 
know  each  other,  and  must  consult  and  cooperate 
to  the  same  end. 

Not  only  is  what  is  taught  in  the  schools  to  find  its 
application  in  the  home  and  in  society,  but  much  of  the 
teaching  will  be  done  through  the  home  and  society. 

Necessarily  some  of  the  instruction  will  be  given 
by  the  teacher,  and  in  essays  and  discussions  by  the 
class;  in  the  study  of  magazine  and  book  articles 
and  illustrations ;  but  this  instruction  and  discus- 
sion must  be  closely  connected  with  the  doing  of  the 
things  taught;  in  actually  performing  the  work  — 
not  as  school  exercises,  but  for  a  real  purpose. 

xi 


INTRODUCTION 

Visits  should  be  made  to  dry-goods  and  millinery 
stores,  for  the  purpose  of  examining  material,  learn- 
ing the  cost  and  the  amount  needed  for  different 
articles  of  clothing. 

Visit  furniture  stores,  markets  and  grocery  stores, 
to  examine  and  price  the  various  articles  under  dis- 
cussion. 

When  the  convenience,  decoration,  and  arrange- 
ment of  a  girl's  room  is  under  discussion,  spend  the 
afternoon  at  the  homes  of  some  of  the  girls  who  are 
willing,  to  show  how  rooms  may  be  simply  and  taste- 
fully arranged.  Many  mothers  will  be  willing  to  place 
their  homes  at  the  disposal  of  the  class  for  an  after- 
noon for  purposes  of  demonstration  and  work  in  the 
kitchen,  laundry,  or  dining-room. 

Simplicity,  genuineness,  and  the  fact  that  all  right 
conduct  and  true  courtesy  spring  from  right  motives 
and  genuine  kindness  should  be  emphasized  through- 
out all  the  teaching.  Remember  that  education  comes 
largely  through  action  and  that  conduct  makes,  as 
well  as  exhibits,  character. 

Find  or  make  opportunities  for  vital  instruction 
through  the  exercise  of  right  conduct  in  connection 
with  each  subject  of  instruction  ;  right  thinking  and 
right  being  will  result  from  right  acting. 

When  the  Home  School  was  opened  in  Provi- 
dence, Rhode  Island,  in  the  fall  of  1911,  it  was 
only  another  attempt  to  embody  the  ideas  which 
had  been  maturing  during  these  years,  namely  : 
xii 


INTRODUCTION 

That  it  is  the  business  of  public  education  to  pre- 
pare girls  for  their  future  duties  and  responsi- 
bilities as  home-makers  and  housekeepers ;  and 
that  this  education  and  training  cannot  be  effec- 
tively given  unless  it  is  connected  with  the  home 
in  such  a  way  that  the  instruction  shall  find  ex- 
pression in  the  home,  and  shall  react  upon  the 
girl  in  her  home  relations  and  occupations.  It 
was  not  intended  to  ignore  the  related  education 
of  boys,  but  rather,  by  placing  the  emphasis  in 
this  manner  upon  the  education  of  girls  directly 
for  their  great  life  responsibilities,  to  try  to  ob- 
tain some  light  upon  one  phase  of  the  problem 
which  might  also  be  utilized  in  the  solution  of 
related  problems. 

The  Home  School  is  only  a  more  adequate 
expression  and  extension  of  the  ideas  which  were 
contained  in  "The  Girl  in  the  Home,"  eight 
years  before,  with  this  important  difference :  The 
teaching  and  the  initial  activities  are  all  con- 
nected with  and  conducted  in  a  real  home  —  in- 
stead of  having  a  part  of  them  given  in  a  formal 
and  unrelated  schoolroom. 

There  were  four  rather  important  problems  to 
be  solved  after  the  necessary  authority  for  the 
organization  of  such  a  school  had  been  granted 
on  September  27,  1911 :  — 
xiii 


INTRODUCTION 

First,  to  find  a  house  —  suitable  both  in  itself 
and  in  its  location  ;  second,  to  provide  the  proper 
furnishings  and  equipment;  third,  to  select  a 
name ;  fourth,  and  most  important  of  all,  to  ob- 
tain the  teachers. 

How  the  house  was  selected,  made  ready  for 
occupancy,  and  the  girls  invited  to  come  and 
use  it,  is  told  in  one  of  the  following  chapters. 
After  the  consideration  and  rejection  of  many 
other  terms,  I  finally  decided  upon  the  name, 
"  Home  School,"  because  it  seemed  to  convey 
better  than  any  other  expression  the  whole 
meaning  —  a  school  with  the  emphasis  upon, 
the  spirit  of,  and  its  motive  for,  the  home  ;  I  al- 
ways think  of  it,  and  express  it,  as  the  Home 
School. 

After  the  services  of  three  teachers  of  the 
right  kind  had  been  secured,  the  author  of  this 
monograph  being  one,  I  felt  certain  as  to  the 
outcome. 

When  the  teachers  had  been  selected,  I  said 
to  them  in  substance,  after  outlining  the  general 
plans,  "Don't  consider  yourselves  so  much  teach- 
ers as  old-fashioned  mothers  — '  bringing  up '  a 
big  family  of  girls,  where  every  one  has  some 
part  of  the  household  duties  to  perform  ;  where 
the  homely  virtues  of  economy  and  wise  expend- 
xiv 


INTRODUCTION 

itures  and  making  much  of  little  are  practiced ; 
where  helpfulness  and  kindly  consideration  of 
the  rights  of  others  prevail ;  and  where  there 
shall  be  at  the  right  time  opportunities,  as  be- 
tween mother  and  daughter,  for  the  confidential, 
intimate  consideration  of  some  of  the  great  prob- 
lems of  a  girl's  life." 

And  this  thought  has  been  emphasized  since, 
—  "  You  can  sacrifice  some  things  —  almost  any- 
thing, but  the  one  essential;  —  you  must  never 
lose  the  real  homelike  atmosphere  in  which  all 
other  things  become  possible ;  if  this  is  lost,  all 
is  lost ;  success  will  turn  to  failure." 

Because  the  home  spirit  has  been  caught  and 
has  not  been  allowed  to  escape ;  because  the 
ideal  of  a  home  in  its  plans  and  furnishings  has 
been  kept  simple  and  inexpensive,  and  not  be- 
yond the  comprehension  or  ability  of  the  girls  to 
realize  in  their  own  homes ;  because  they  have 
experienced  the  joy  of  work  well  done ;  because 
they  have  applied  the  lessons  learned  and  the 
skill  acquired,  and  because,  as  one  girl  expressed 
it,  "Every  time  I  come  to  this  place  it  looks 
more  beautiful  to  me/'  —  beautiful  because  of 
the  simplicity  and  well-ordered  homelike  activ- 
ity;—  because  of  these  things,  the  "Home 
School  "  is  bound  powerfully  to  affect  the  present 
xv 


INTRODUCTION 

and  future  lives  of  the  girls  who  come  within  its 
influence. 

But  such  schools,  in  addition  to  teaching  girls 
household  duties  and  occupations,  and  showing 
the  mothers  how  to  care  for  their  children,  will 
also  meet  another  large  need  of  the  community 

—  the  need  for  neighborhood  centers  in  which 
the  home  life  of  the  people  may  be  magnified. 

The  "  Settlement  House,"  with  its  volunteer 
workers,  has  shown  the  need  and  has  pointed  the 
way.  The  Home  School,  maintained  at  public 
expense,  —  belonging  to  the  people  themselves, 

—  will  render  a  still  larger  social  service,  more 
general  in  its  application  and  more  permanent  in 
its  results. 

What  the  regular  schoolhouse,  with  its  assem- 
bly hall,  gymnasium,  and  classrooms,  may  become 
as  a  civic,  recreation,  and  educational  center,  that 
the  Home  School  will  become  as  a  genuine,  social, 
home  center,  from  which  shall  radiate  that  spirit 
of  friendship  and  those  kindly  influences  that 
may  reach  all  the  homes  of  the  community,  and 
may  help  to  transform  the  residents  of  the  city 
into  the  old-fashioned  neighbors  of  the  country. 

Because  I  believe  the  ideas  contained  in  the 
following  pages  make  for  a  larger  and  better 
home  and  community  life  ;  because  I  believe  the 
xvi 


INTRODUCTION 

principles  there  expressed  must  be  more  largely 
utilized  if  the  schools  are  to  interpret  life  and 
are  to  render  their  greatest  service  to  the  social, 
industrial,  and  civic  life  of  the  people,  I  am  glad 
to  introduce  the  "Home  School,"  and  its  inter 
preter ;  and  to  ask  for  both  a  kind  reception,  a 
careful  consideration  of  their  message,  and  a  wide 
acceptance  of  so  much  of  truth  as  may  be  found 
therein. 

RANDALL  J.  CONDON. 
CINCINNATI,  March,  1913. 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 


SOME  ASPECTS  OF  MODERN  EDUCATION 

A  new  demand  in  education 

SCATTERED  here  and  there  in  the  public  school 
systems  of  America  are  schools  bearing  a  new 
message  in  education.  These  are  known  as 
"home  schools,"  and  may  be  looked  upon  as  the 
most  hopeful  spots  in  modern  vocational  train- 
ing for  girls.  That  a  more  intelligent  supervision 
and  care  of  the  home  is  necessary  in  America  is 
recognized  by  all  most  closely  in  touch  with  our 
present  social  conditions.  Many  of  the  weaknesses 
and  dangers  of  civilization  may  be  traced  to  the 
home ;  or,  more  hopefully  expressed,  the  remedy 
for  these  weaknesses  and  dangers  of  our  social 
and  industrial  structure  lies  in  the  home. 

Far-sighted  settlement  workers  have  been 
putting  forth  effort  along  this  line  for  many 
years,  but  it  is  only  within  the  past  few  months, 
one  might  almost  say,  that  this  responsibility  has 
been  recognized  by  the  public  schools.  The  en- 
largement of  the  functions  of  the  public  schools 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

goes  on  with  such  amazing  rapidity,  that  the 
"visions "of  our  superintendents,  principals,  and 
teachers  become  facts  almost  before  the  public 
has  recognized  the  presence  of  a  new  demand 
and  a  new  responsibility.  So  it  is  not  surpris- 
ing that  in  a  night,  as  it  were,  housecraft  schools 
should  have  sprung  up  in  Boston,  Providence, 
Los  Angeles,  and  in  many  cities  of  the  Middle 
West.  The  lines  of  development  in  these  various 
cities  differ  with  the  needs  of  the  locality,  but  all 
have  as  their  motive  a  more  complete,  thorough, 
and  rational  training  for  girls  in  all  matters  per- 
taining to  home-making. 

Many  successful  men  and  women  of  to-day 
look  back  upon  the  wholesome,  active  interests 
of  the  simple  life  of  their  youth  with  a  feeling 
that  some  of  the  most  potent  influences  of  their 
education  are  lacking  in  the  schools  of  to-day, 
where  the  children  have  little  direct  part  in  the 
daily  arts  of  life.  Formerly  the  school  merely 
supplemented  life,  giving  a  certain  amount  of  book 
knowledge;  but  to-day,  on  account  of  changed 
living  conditions,  the  public  schools  are  called 
upon  to  make  systematic  provision  for  the  nor- 
mal impulses  of  children  to  play,  to  work  together, 
and  to  participate  in  real  life.  Health,  mental 
development,  culture,  and  civic  capacity  must  all 


ASPECTS  OF  MODERN  EDUCATION 

be  contributions  of  an  adequate  education.  With 
all  the  work  we  have  done  thus  far  through  state 
and  philanthropy,  we  have  never  utilized  all  the 
energy,  nor  properly  directed  the  surplus  of  ideas, 
nor  met  all  the  needs. 

A  few  years  ago,  the  Report  of  the  Commission 
on  Industrial  and  Technical  Education  for  Mass- 
achusetts contained  the  statement  that  in  the 
public  schools  the  child  had  come  to  be  "  almost 
wholly  separated  from  life";  fortunately,  condi- 
tions have  been  changing  so  rapidly,  that  this 
statement  does  not  have  the  force  to-day  that  it 
had  six  years  ago,  although  the  cry  is  still  going 
up  for  more  opportunities  for  the  youth  of  to-day 
to  express  themselves  in  constructive  and  crea- 
tive manual  and  mental  occupations.  And  a  com- 
munity consciousness  and  ideals  of  citizenship 
must  be  realized,  and  cooperative  work  and  play 
become  a  fact,  that  every  open  schoolroom  door 
may  say  to  the  child :  — 

"  So  enter  that  ye  may  be  serious  and  thoughtful; 
So  depart  that  ye  may  be  of  service  to  mankind." 

Home-making  a  necessary  supplement  to  education 
for  girls  in  all  social  groups 

While  sympathy  for  the  less  favored  members 
of  society  makes  one  dwell  upon  the  needs  of  the 

3 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

working-girl,  it  is  nevertheless  true  that  much 
incompetence,  with  its  attendant  unhappiness,  is 
found  among  girls  and  women  with  money  and 
leisure.  By  far  the  greater  number  of  divorces 
and  separations  occur  among  the  well-to-do,  and 
the  cause  of  a  large  percentage  has  been  traced 
to  mismanagement  in  household  affairs.  Habits 
of  indolence,  frivolous  amusements,  imprudent 
or  vicious  social  customs  among  women,  may  all 
be  traced  more  or  less  directly  to  indifference 
toward  the  home.  If  a  woman's  economic  inde- 
pendence, either  directly  or  indirectly,  is  main- 
tained through  household  crafts,  her  interests 
will  of  necessity  be  within  the  home,  and  growth 
and  evolution  of  ideas  will  follow.  But  if  her  home 
is  merely  an  abiding-place  and  a  place  for  various 
forms  of  amusement,  and  not  a  field  for  her  in- 
dustry, inventiveness,  and  deeper  self-expression, 
her  energies  will  be  diverted  to  other  forms  of 
activity  often  less  worth  while  and  sometimes 
disintegrating  to  the  best  interests  of  the  indi- 
vidual and  the  state. 

The  maternal  instinct  and  natural  aversion  to 
aggressive  employment  have  kept  women,  since 
the  first  primeval  housewife,  concerned  with 
the  problems  of  daily  food,  clothing,  shelter,  and 
the  arts  that  beautify.  The  home-making  in- 


ASPECTS  OF  MODERN  EDUCATION 

stinct  is  almost  as  strong  biologically  as  the  mat- 
ing instinct,  and  its  proper  development  from 
early  youth  to  maturity  is  just  as  essential  in 
conscious  education  as  the  principles  of  mathe- 
matics or  the  facts  of  history.  To  disregard  this 
factor  is  to  deprive  the  growing  girl  of  one  of 
the  most  potent  agents  for  the  development  of 
character  and  the  unfolding  of  the  emotions. 
All  the  beneficent  labor  of  the  home  is  the  birth- 
right of  a  girl;  and  whatever  her  wealth,  station, 
or  future  possibilities,  she  should  be  given  a 
chance  to  secure  the  benefits  of  her  inheritance. 

Home-making  training  for  boys 

The  fact  that  these  pages  are  concerned  chiefly 
with  problems  of  home  training  for  girls  does 
not  in  any  sense  indicate  that  the  necessity  for 
educating  boys,  also,  in  these  branches  has  been 
overlooked.  In  some  foreign  districts,  particu- 
larly, it  is  quite  as  necessary  for  the  boys  to 
understand  how  to  handle  home  problems  as  for 
the  girls,  if  well-ordered  industry  is  to  drive  out 
incompetence  and  poverty.  In  cases  where  the 
father  is  out  of  employment,  the  family  depends 
on  the  daily  earnings  of  the  mother,  and  while 
she  is  away  the  father  and  sons  must  know  how 
to  prepare  the  meals  and  care  for  the  children. 

5 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

One  of  the  menaces  to  the  habits,  health,  pros- 
perity, and  happiness  of  the  poorer  classes  has 
been  the  idleness  of  the  men-folk,  their  household 
incompetence,  when  "out  of  a  job."  Industrial 
and  economic  equality  of  the  sexes  means  equal 
educational  opportunities  for  boys  and  girls  in  all 
those  activities  that  make  for  higher  ideals  of 
parenthood  and  citizenship. 

In  those  localities  where  home  training  for 
boys  is  needed,  no  system  of  education  is  com- 
plete or  adequate  that  does  not  offer  this  instruc- 
tion. The  way  in  which  this  shall  be  handled 
depends  largely  upon  the  needs  of  the  commu- 
nity and  the  experience  and  educational  methods 
of  those  in  charge.  But  conscious  education  for 
boys  in  the  development  of  home  life  is  a  neces- 
sity, if  one  would  have  them  share  abundantly 
in  the  highest  responsibilities  of  human  experi- 
ence. 


II 

THE  NECESSITY  FOR  TWO  DIFFERENT  TYPES 

OF  TRAINING  — FOR  INDUSTRY  AND  FOR 

THE  HOME 

Concerning  industry 

ON  account  of  economic  pressure,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  girls  in  the  public  schools  drop  out  as 
they  approach  or  finish  the  grammar  school.  It  is 
plain  that  some  sort  of  self-improvement  should 
be  provided  for  them  after  they  have  left  the  pub- 
lic schools.  The  problem  of  after-training  for  girls 
is  much  more  difficult  and  complex  than  that 
for  boys,  since  the  trade  or  vocation  which  the 
boy  has  chosen  determines  the  character  of  his 
supplementary  training.  In  the  education  of  the 
working-girl,  there  is  a  twofold  demand  to  be 
met,  that  of  giving  preparation  for  her  tempo- 
rary calling,  and  that  of  fitting  her  to  meet  the 
requirements  of  her  future  career  as  a  home- 
maker. 

Seven  years  is  the  average  length  of  the  pe- 
riod during  which  the  female  wage-earner  is 
employed,  and  the  period  is  even  shorter  for  the 
more  unskilled  workers.  After  this,  a  girl's  at- 

7 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

tention  is  usually  given  to  the  making  of  a  home, 
and  it  is  in  this  capacity,  as  a  home-maker,  that 
the  greater  part  of  her  life  will  be  spent.  It  is 
admitted  that  girls  should  be  skilled  in  some 
trade,  since  their  industrial  efficiency  has  be- 
come an  economic  necessity  :  thus  it  is  clear 
that  their  after-training  must  include  housecraft 
and  also  knowledge  to  supplement  a  skilled 
trade.  These  are  two  entirely  different  types  of 
training  and  must  be  carried  on  independently 
of  each  other,  except  with  reference  to  those 
money-making  pursuits  which  may  be  satisfac- 
torily conducted  in  the  home  and  which  will 
receive  consideration  elsewhere. 

Girls  who  enter  the  various  poorly  paid  juve- 
nile employments  have  little  prospect  of  future 
progress,  and  at  the  end  of  four  or  five  years  of 
such  work  are  little  better  off  than  when  they 
left  school.  Factory  work  is  so  highly  specialized, 
and  subdivided  into  so  many  branches,  that  the 
young  girl  working  at  some  particular  operation 
of  the  industry  is  ill-equipped  to  earn  a  living  at 
some  other  branch,  although  possessing  a  high 
degree  of  skill  in  her  special  line  of  the  work. 
Many  young  girls,  from  delicacy  of  the  hand  and 
deftness  of  manipulation,  take  up  jewel-setting, 
the  remuneration  being  princely,  —  in  a  relative 
8 


TYPES  OF  TRAINING 

sense  at  least.  But  the  process  is  non-educative 
and  leads  to  no  advancement.  When,  from  the 
strain  on  the  eyes,  the  girl  must  give  up  the 
work,  as  almost  invariably  happens,  she  is  just 
where  she  was  when  she  left  the  grammar  school. 
One  girl,  for  example,  being  obliged  to  give 
up  jewel-setting  after  working  at  the  trade  for 
several  years  and  earning  at  times  as  much  as 
seventeen  dollars  a  week,  was  forced  to  accept 
a  position  in  a  box  factory  with  a  wage  of  three 
dollars  per  week. 

There  are  great  difficulties  in  the  path  of 
the  modern  educational  movement  for  providing 
training  in  a  wide  range  of  industries,  and  it  is 
probable  that  the  question  will  be  solved  through 
the  organization  of  related  industries  and  the 
presentation  of  those  fundamentals  in  handcraft 
and  machinery  that  are  shared  by  the  group  and 
may  be  used  as  a  basis  for  evolving  some  form 
of  progressive  training. 

Concerning  the  home 

Under  present  conditions,  all  the  trades,  and 
home-making  as  well,  are  artificial  processes; 
that  is,  industrial  conditions  have  made  it  nec- 
essary to  develop  them  as  conscious  educational 
processes.  This  is  perfectly  clear  with  reference 

9 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

to  the  trades,  and  a  little  consideration  will  re- 
veal that,  so  far  as  the  working-girl  is  concerned, 
housecraft  is  no  longer  an  instinctive  process  of 
acquiring  skill. 

The  factory  girl  is  off  early  in  the  morning 
for  her  work,  and  back  in  time  for  the  evening 
meal,  and  there  is  little  time  for  learning  the  arts 
of  housecraft  even  if  conditions  were  favorable. 
Her  home  is  scarcely  more  than  a  boarding-place. 
The  absence,  in  many  homes,  of  the  proper  at- 
mosphere for  teaching  organized  home-making 
of  any  kind  is  recognized  by  teachers  of  experi- 
ence in  this  line  of  work,  and  this  fact  is  one  of 
the  strongest  arguments  in  favor  of  the  establish- 
ment of  home  schools  where  systematic  and  or- 
ganized home-making  may  be  demonstrated  in  a 
satisfactory  atmosphere. 

One  instance  from  the  experiences  of  a  young 
teacher  will  serve  as  an  illustration.  In  conduct- 
ing a  lesson  on  bed-making  and  hygienic  care  of 
the  sleeping-room,  the  teacher  saw  that  one  fac- 
tory girl  was  not  in  harmony  with  the  sugges- 
tions given  for  opening  the  bed  on  getting  up  in 
the  morning,  and  airing  the  bedroom.  "  Esther," 
she  questioned,  "don't  you  think  it  would  be 
a  good  thing  to  throw  back  the  bedding  and 
open  the  window  and  let  in  the  clean,  fresh  air  ? " 
10 


TYPES  OF  TRAINING 

"No,  —  Tessie's  in  bed!"  was  the  answer.  In- 
deed, closer  investigation  showed  that  not  only 
was  "Tessie"  in  bed,  but  sometimes  "Mary" 
also,  and  often  "  Willie."  It  is  difficult  to  bear 
in  mind  all  the  possible  conditions  under  which 
one's  pupils  are  living  (and  in  one  school  they 
will  often  be  as  diversified  as  the  elements  of 
our  complex  American  life),  but  to  plan  broadly 
for  education  one  must  have  a  clairvoyant  sym- 
pathy and  understanding  regarding  all  types  in 
all  our  social  groups. 

The  particular  type  of  training  advocated  for 
the  home  school  is  not  given  anywhere  else  in  the 
present  plans  and  outlines  for  education.  It  is 
true  that  domestic  science  is  handled  in  the  high 
schools,  but  there  has  been  a  lack  of  correlation 
between  the  technical  studies  given  and  the  ac- 
tual home  experiences.  This  is  due  largely  to  the 
absence  of  the  home  environment.  And  that  the 
household  arts  in  the  high  schools  have  been  un- 
popular is  due  chiefly  to  the  fact  that  the  sur- 
roundings have  not  been  those  of  the  home,  and 
an  appeal  has  not  been  made  to  the  creative  home- 
making  instincts.  Domestic  science  with  a  lab- 
oratory sort  of  flavor  does  not  make  the  psycho- 
logical appeal.  It  is  also  true  that  during  the 
period  between  fourteen  and  eighteen  years  most 
ii 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

girls  seem  to  evince  a  distaste  for  home  occupa- 
tions. Here,  too,  the  explanation  may  partly  be 
found  in  method  and  environment.  Consciously 
or  unconsciously,  a  girl's  interests  have  been  di- 
verted from  the  home  to  school  activities,  social 
enjoyment,  and  wage-earning,  but  it  is  neverthe- 
less possible  to  enchain  her  interests  and  gratify 
her  tastes  in  the  home  surroundings.  Sympa- 
thetic observers  interested  in  this  line  of  work 
have  found  that  girls  become  strikingly  individu- 
alized under  the  vital  problems  of  home-making, 
and  most  naturally  develop  traits  of  independence 
and  womanliness. 

The  time  is  already  here  when  the  whole  field 
of  domestic  science  must  be  viewed  from  a  new 
standpoint.  Just  one  successful  home  school, 
with  its  productive  environment,  throws  down 
the  gauntlet  to  the  laboratory  method  of  train- 
ing girls  for  the  vocation  of  home-makers  and 
mothers. 

The  idea  of  housecraft  becoming  a  part  of 
organized,  conscious  education  is  the  most  prac- 
tical thing  in  the  world.  It  is  not  a  "fad";  it  is 
not  a  "frill";  it  is  a  fundamental  in  the  eco- 
nomic evolution  of  the  race. 


HI 

THE  HOME  AS  AN  INSTITUTIONAL  UNIT  AND 

THE  HOME  SCHOOL  AN  EXPRESSION 

OF  IT 

WHATEVER  may  be  our  ideas  as  to  the  progress 
of  the  race  away  from  the  existing  order  of 
things,  we  cannot  conceive  of  a  condition  that 
does  away  with  the  home  as  a  fundamental  unit 
of  society.  The  first  social  unit  was  a  mother 
and  her  child,  housed  in  the  primitive  shelter 
which  the  mother  had  devised  for  her  own  pro- 
tection and  that  of  her  infant.  And  the  evolu- 
tion of  all  home  and  tribal  customs  and  laws  is 
merely  the  history  of  the  long  struggle  to  main- 
tain this  unit  and  to  attach  the  father  perma- 
nently to  the  group. 

The  home  a  fttndamental  unit 

In  the  constant  change  that  accompanies  so- 
cial progress,  institutions  valuable  at  one  period 
serve  their  term  of  usefulness  and  give  place  to 
others  more  fit.  The  influence  of  the  church, 
business,  the  press,  the  school,  and  even  the 
home  is  an  inconstant  power,  and  in  any  age  the 

13 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

deficiencies  of  one  institution  must  be  met  by 
an  increased  vigor  in  some  other.  Of  all  the  in- 
stitutions that  have  ministered  to  human  prog- 
ress, the  home  has  been  the  most  stable,  and  is 
the  one  social  unit  whose  influence  cannot  be 
replaced.  But  complex  conditions  affecting  all 
homes,  and  particularly  urban  homes,  are  mak- 
ing it  necessary  for  other  institutions  to  reinforce 
the  home  and  to  offer  supplementary  training  to 
meet  the  needs  of  society.  Under  the  economic 
pressure  of  a  commercial  age,  the  homes  in  the 
crowded  city  districts  are  the  ones  that  bear  the 
greatest  burden,  and  the  ones  that  must  receive 
most  outside  inspiration  and  support. 

The  public  school  at  the  present  time  is  the 
most  vital  organ  of  democracy,  and  as  such  is 
meeting  problems  which  a  few  years  ago  would 
have  been  entirely  outside  its  propaganda.  For 
the  child,  the  home  influences  and  domestic 
pursuits  offered  in  the  public  schools  can  in  no 
sense  take  the  place  of  its  own  home  life,  and 
such  examples  are  offered  merely  as  supplemen- 
tary training  or  as  a  means  of  conscious  educa- 
tion where  conditions  make  it  impossible  for 
housecraft  to  develop  as  an  instinctive  process. 
The  home  as  an  institutional  unit  must  be  pre- 
served, and  if  conditions  make  its  natural  and 

14 


AN  INSTITUTIONAL  UNIT 

spontaneous  development  impossible,  we  must 
provide  for  its  growth  and  nurture  through  arti- 
ficial processes. 

It  is  now  true,  as  it  always  has  been,  that  the 
supreme  struggle  of  humanity  is  to  maintain  the 
home.  This  means  shelter,  food,  clothing,  some 
degree  of  comfort  for  all,  and  a  more  or  less 
harmonious  and  interdependent  family  group. 
When  all  in  the  household  contribute  something 
to  the  maintenance  of  the  home,  as  in  the  case 
of  the  busy  poor,  the  most  ideal  condition  ob- 
tains. By  contrast,  it  is  the  lack  of  this  necessity 
for  work  that  impoverishes  the  home  life  of  the 
"  idle  rich."  The  happiest  homes  are  those  where 
all  have  duties  to  perform  and  service  to  ren- 
der. 

The  function  of  the  home  school 

The  fact  that  girls  must  be  wage-earners  to 
help  in  the  support  of  the  family  is  not,  in  itself, 
to  be  deplored,  but  rather  the  conditions  that 
make  it  necessary  for  a  girl  to  earn  her  living 
before  she  has  received  a  minimum  of  school- 
ing, or  the  necessary  instruction  to  make  her  a 
skilled  worker.  With  a  scientific  understanding 
of  the  home  as  an  institutional  unit,  the  home 
school  may  become,  in  any  community,  a  sym- 

15 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

pathetic  and  intelligent  demonstration  of  what 
home  life  can  be,  and  may  dispense  new  ideals 
of  cleanliness,  order,  and  thrift,  and  the  larger 
possibilities  of  the  home  that  reach  out  into  the 
trades  and  the  many  beneficial  forms  of  neigh- 
borhood cooperation.  In  handling  the  girls  in 
small  groups  it  is  possible  to  show  how  all  the 
work  in  the  home  may  be  done  by  the  members 
of  the  family  working  together  along  some  sys- 
tematic plan ;  and  through  the  serving  of  meals, 
games,  reading,  and  many  forms  of  recreation 
it  is  possible  to  show  how  the  social  side  of  home 
life  may  be  developed  and  made  to  include  va- 
ried interests,  that  old  and  young,  men-folk  and 
women-folk,  may  all  find  some  congenial  activ- 
ity within  the  home  environment. 

The  most  vital  and  lasting  benefits  are  always 
those  which  people  achieve  for  themselves ;  and 
the  value  of  concrete  examples,  artificially  intro- 
duced, rests  chiefly  in  the  spontaneous  develop- 
ment that  will  follow  through  imitation,  and  the 
new  forms  of  initiative  and  activity  that  will 
grow  through  suggestion.  The  best  thing  that 
can  be  done  for  a  community  is  to  bring  into  it 
some  form  of  inspiration  through  which  the 
people  may  develop  their  own  improved  condi- 
tions and  work  out  their  own  progress.  The  new 
16 


AN  INSTITUTIONAL  UNIT 

and  broader  humanitarianism  is  but  the  family 
ideal  of  sympathy  and  mutual  helpfulness  en- 
larged to  include  the  community,  the  state,  and 
even  the  "uttermost  parts  of  the  earth."  This 
unit  is  a  fundamental  in  all  spiritual  evolution, 
and  every  expression  of  it  adds  a  building-stone 
to  the  foundation  of  social  progress. 


IV 

THE  HOME  AS  AN  ECONOMIC  INSTITUTION, 

AND  THE  RELATION  OF  TRADE  AND 

HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

The  modern  home,  and  the  woman  of  to-day 

WOMAN'S  faithfulness  to  the  line  of  duties  laid 
down  for  her  at  the  beginning  of  human  family 
life  has  been  the  consecration  of  industrialism. 
Persistently  and  unremittingly  she  has  kept  at  her 
task  of  builder,  potter,  weaver,  artist,  cook.  Her 
cunning  has  devised  shelter,  prepared  food,  made 
clothing,  and  developed  both  useful  and  decora- 
tive arts.  In  reviewing  her  long  struggle  with  the 
forces  of  nature,  and  with  the  even  more  subtle 
compulsion  of  rapidly  developing  social  laws,  one 
feels  that  whatever  may  be  the  difficulties  of  to- 
day or  of  to-morrow,  woman's  resourcefulness  will 
prove  sufficient. 

It  is  a  curious  fact  that,  in  a  progressive  and 
advancing  civilization,  one  of  the  prime  efforts 
of  education  should  be  to  bring  back  to  the  home 
some  of  the  pursuits  and  occupations  of  primi- 
tive times.  The  home  was  the  first  great  agent 
for  promoting  vocational  training,  and  every- 
18 


TRADE  AND  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

thing  relating  to  life,  even  preparations  for  war- 
fare, were  marked  by  the  contriving  brain  and 
industrious  fingers  of  woman.  And  it  is  to  be 
deeply  regretted  that  accuracy  of  the  eye,  deft- 
ness of  the  hand,  resourcefulness,  and  eagerness 
for  expressing  a  sense  of  the  beautiful,  no  longer 
exist  with  the  masses  as  they  did  in  primitive 
civilizations. 

It  is  impossible  to  go  back  to  any  age  and  re- 
produce its  conditions,  no  matter  how  great  its 
opportunities  may  have  been  or  how  adequate  its 
institutions.  Reverence  for  the  "  good  old  days  " 
must  give  place  to  a  dynamic  belief  in  the  "  bet- 
ter to-day  and  to-morrow."  However  useful  and 
devoted  the  lives  of  our  grandmothers  may  have 
been,  it  is  impossible  to  foist  those  workaday 
conditions  upon  the  girls  of  to-day.  In  an  age 
where  machinery  and  countless  inventions  facil- 
itate business  and  all  social  processes,  it  is  futile 
to  attempt  to  engage  a  girl's  interest  in  a  long 
day  of  household  drudgery,  or  excite  her  enthu- 
siasm over  scrupulous  and  petty  details.  So  far 
as  possible,  she  must  be  shown  the  use  and 
benefit  of  gas  stoves,  fireless  cookers,  vacuum 
cleaners,  and  every  invention  and  appliance  for 
making  work  easy.  Every  girl  should  know  the 
value  of  gas  and  electricity  for  lighting,  hot  and 

19 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

cold  water  in  the  kitchen,  screens  for  doors  and 
windows,  a  well-lighted  and  ventilated  toilet 
and  bathroom,  for  these  are  the  things  she  must 
demand  in  the  houses  and  tenements  she  will 
occupy.  The  home-maker  of  to-day  cannot  be 
content  with  old-fashioned  and  inconvenient 
conditions  for  work,  any  more  than  the  primi- 
tive woman  could  content  herself  with  her  bone 
knife  after  she  had  learned  the  value  of  a 
metal  blade.  Winning  a  girl's  fancy  back  to 
the  home  does  not  mean  back  to  the  home 
of  her  grandmother,  but  the  modern,  flexible, 
scientific,  progressive  home.  An  ideal  of  home- 
making  that  offers  the  opportunity  merely  for 
clean,  orderly  housekeeping,  good  cooking,  sew- 
ing, and  mending  will  never  prepossess  the  girl 
of  to-day.  The  outlook  for  self-expression  must 
be  wider  than  this,  and  must  offer  possibilities 
for  economic  independence,  and  leisure  for  pleas- 
ure and  self-improvement. 

The  home  a  producing  center 

A  money  recompense  unquestionably  adds  a 
certain  zest  to  labor,  and  the  thought  of  her  pay 
at  the  end  of  the  week  will  enliven  the  six  days 
toil  for  the  working-girl.  The  absence  of  any 
pay  for  home  work,  while  it  has  helped  to  form 
20 


TRADE  AND  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

gentle  traits  of  devotion  and  unselfishness,  has 
at  the  same  time  been  responsible  for  much 
hurried,  slovenly  work.  Nothing  vital  in  the 
struggle  for  existence  appears  to  be  connected 
with  the  manner  in  which  the  house  is  cleaned, 
or  the  meals  prepared  and  put  on  the  table.  In 
the  trades,  the  unfortunate  results  following  the 
bad  workman  are  immediate,  but  there  is  no 
recognized  standard  or  censor  for  home  affairs. 

It  is  also  true  that  the  wives  and  daughters  of 
working-men  do  not  always  receive  in  food,  cloth- 
ing or  housing  what  seems  to  them  a  satisfactory 
return  for  their  labor.  A  like  amount  of  time 
spent  at  the  store  or  factory  would  bring  more 
personal  independence,  for  the  daughter,  at  least, 
and  a  weekly  wage.  In  most  instances  the  com- 
pensation for  housework  must  lie  chiefly  in  the 
inward  satisfaction  of  doing  work  thoroughly 
and  well,  and  in  the  wholesome  pride  of  having 
a  neat  and  well-ordered  home.  This,  although  a 
higher  incentive  than  money,  does  not  make  so 
direct  an  appeal.  At  the  present  time  the  home 
is  not  an  economic  institution.  It  is  not  a  pro- 
ducing center,  and  to  follow  a  money-making 
calling  means  to  drift  away  from  the  home.  Ac- 
tivities properly  belonging  to  the  home  have 
been  carried  away  from  it  and  organized  under 

21 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

factory  conditions.  We  find  women  in  bakeshops, 
making  the  tabooed  "  baker's  stuff,"  and  work- 
ing under  conditions  far  less  sanitary  and  agree- 
able than  the  home  kitchen  would  be.  The  same 
thing  is  true  in  regard  to  sewing ;  woman  takes 
her  place  at  the  sewing-machine  in  the  crowded 
factory,  while  home  needlework,  with  its  artistic 
possibilities,  remains  an  undeveloped  industry. 

The  reason  for  this  is  clear,  since  economic 
advance  in  specialization  and  differentiation  has 
brought  in  the  restaurant,  delicatessen,  ready-to- 
wear  clothing,  and  the  grocery  with  its  preserved 
fruits  and  canned  vegetables.  All  this  has  re- 
duced the  necessity  of  the  home  as  a  producing 
center;  and  the  home-maker,  whether  a  woman 
who  must  help  in  the  support  of  the  family,  or  a 
woman  of  leisure,  finds  herself  separated  from 
many  of  those  domestic  arts  which  once  engrossed 
the  energy,  interest,  and  ingenuity  of  the  sex. 
One  of  the  chief  problems,  to-day,  in  education 
for  girls,  is  to  bring  back  to  the  home  some 
of  those  money-making  activities  that  formerly 
were  carried  on  there,  and  to  establish  new  crafts 
and  arts  which  may  be  developed  effectively  by 
women  in  their  homes.  The  Indian  women  with 
their  baskets  and  pottery  left  examples  of  en- 
during beauty;  and  one  regrets  that  among  the 
22 


TRADE  AND  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

masses  at  the  present  time  women  are  not  engaged 
in  producing  anything  expressing  a  permanent 
form  of  art  or  lasting  element  of  beauty.  Pro- 
duction invariably  stimulates  inventiveness,  and 
to  put  a  market  value  on  any  handicraft  product 
tends  to  improve  the  quality  of  the  work  and  to 
lift  it  into  the  realm  of  an  art.  So,  to  organize 
certain  industries  about  the  home  as  a  center 
would  infuse  new  vitality  into  the  home  occupa- 
tions, and  call  forth  new  expressions  of  original- 
ity in  all  workers. 

The  home  is  a  far  broader  and  more  interest- 
ing field  for  woman's  ingenuity  than  the  shop  or 
factory,  and  offers  unique  opportunities  for  bring- 
ing into  play  all  her  native  talents  and  acquired 
accomplishments  as  business  assets.  The  de- 
mand for  all  home  products  seems  to  indicate 
that  home  industry,  if  properly  organized  and 
exploited,  would  have  great  economic  signifi- 
cance in  this  particular  age  when  social  and  busi- 
ness conditions  have  caused  so  many  classes 
and  groups  to  be  consumers  and  so  few  to  be 
producers. 

There  is  an  increasing  demand  for  expert 
seamstresses,  and  for  workers  in  the  more  artis- 
tic lines  of  needlework,  embroidery,  crocheting, 
knitting,  etc. ;  there  is  always  a  market  for  good, 

23 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

home-made  bread,  and  it  is  open  to  the  house- 
wife to  displace  bakers'  inferior  products  with 
her  own  superior  ones ;  it  has  been  proved  that 
choice  jellies  and  preserves  can  be  made  in  the 
home  and  sold  for  a  profit  at  a  lower  figure 
than  that  charged  for  the  best  factory  products. 
Through  the  influence  of  the  arts  and  crafts 
guilds,  some  exquisite  art  metal-work  has  been 
developed  in  the  home,  also  leather-work,  wood- 
work, basketry,  beadwork,  and  occasionally  pot- 
tery and  other  artistic  crafts,  and  a  good  price  is 
always  commanded  by  such  products. 

To  extend  this  skill  to  the  masses  and  open 
up  new  possibilities  for  home  production  would 
add  materially  to  the  income  of  the  home  and 
enlarge  the  range  of  interests  and  happiness. 

Neighborhood  cooperation 

It  is  doubtless  true  that  many  changes  bene- 
ficial to  the  home  will  be  brought  about  through 
neighborhood  cooperation.  As  cooperation  saves 
both  time  and  money  and  is  one  of  the  paths 
along  which  progress  moves,  it  is  an  element  to 
be  desired  in  any  community  and  particularly  in 
those  districts  where  the  fewest  advantages  exist 
and  the  tendency  to  all  forms  of  disorder  is 
greatest.  It  is  possible  through  cooperation  to 
24 


TRADE  AND  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

maintain  neatness  and  order  even  in  the  most 
crowded  localities,  and  much  has  been  done  in 
our  large  cities  along  the  lines  of  public  health 
through  the  establishment  of  neighborhood 
sanitation  committees.  In  Boston,  particularly, 
neighborhood  cooperation  has  been  secured  in 
many  localities  to  see  that  garbage  pails  are 
covered,  that  some  provision  is  made  for  burning 
the  rubbish,  and  that  the  fruit,  vegetables,  and 
other  produce  in  the  small  grocery  stores  is 
properly  screened  from  flies  and  dust,  and  that 
it  is  out  of  the  reach  of  dogs  and  other  contami- 
nation from  the  street. 

Cooperative  cooking  and  laundry  work  have 
been  tried  more  or  less  in  neighborhood  guilds 
and  social  centers,  and  always  with  some  degree 
of  success.  However,  the  greatest  benefits  from 
cooperation  will  be  realized  when  some  combina- 
tion is  made  that  establishes  the  economic  im- 
portance of  these  household  trades.  The  work 
must  be  so  organized  that  the  conditions  for  the 
workers  are  easier  and  pleasanter  than  "working 
out "  by  the  day ;  it  must  offer  a  better  income, 
and  for  the  home-maker  must  hold  out  new  oppor- 
tunities for  economy  of  time  and  money. 

Day  nurseries  for  the  care  of  children  whose 
mothers  must  go  out  to  work  are  a  valuable 

25 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

neighborhood  institution,  and  in  the  poorer  or 
more  neglected  districts  offer  a  chance  for  neigh- 
borhood playgrounds  and  the  supervised  recrea- 
tion of  the  children. 

The  value  of  community  cooperative  effort 
cannot  be  overestimated,  since  it  represents  not 
only  the  will  of  the  people,  but  also  their  needs, 
their  money  support,  and  their  sacrifices. 

The  home  school  as  an  industrial  center 

The  home  school  represents  all  the  possibili- 
ties of  the  neighborhood,  or  rather  it  is  a  means 
of  giving  expression  to  all  the  talents  of  the  peo- 
ple through  the  resources  of  the  locality.  It  is 
typical,  showing  what  may  be  accomplished  in 
any  home  of  the  neighborhood  through  well- 
directed  effort ;  and  in  every  phase  of  activity,  it 
preaches  the  new  economy  and  thrift  that  must 
become  a  habit  of  mind  before  any  lasting  pros- 
perity can  be  enjoyed.  Interest  in  these  matters 
of  economy  in  the  home  is  not  an  emotional  one, 
but  a  scientific  one.  As  a  people,  we  have  the 
wasteful  and  spendthrift  habits  that  belong  to 
youth  unaccustomed  to  husband  its  resources, 
and  we  must  grow  more  and  more  into  the  ways 
of  economy  that  exist  in  the  older,  more  crowded 
civilizations.  In  the  face  of  a  growing  desire  for 
26 


TRADE  AND^  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

luxury  and  ease,  there  must  be  a  conscious  effort 
to  cultivate  thrift,  simplicity,  and  a  more  spiritual 
sense  of  values. 

To  feed  those  under  her  care,  woman  has  al- 
ways had  to  be  something  of  an  inventor.  This, 
even  more  than  the  necessity  of  clothing  and 
shelter,  has  tested  her  ingenuity  and  resource- 
fulness. Primitive  woman  searched  the  hills  and 
plains  for  roots,  nuts,  and  fruit  for  daily  use,  and 
to-day  the  thrifty  housewife  who  must  contrive 
a  living  from  a  small  income  uses  all  the  free 
bounty  of  nature  and  every  advantage  offered  by 
climate  or  locality.  The  girls,  through  the  many 
suggestive  activities  of  the  home  school,  learn 
to  use  to  advantage  what  might  be  called  waste 
materials.  Attractive  articles  and  furniture  to 
use  in  the  home  or  to  sell  may  be  made  from 
wood  packing-boxes;  delicious  jellies  may  be 
made  from  wild  fruit;  tomatoes  enough  for  the 
winter's  supply  may  be  had  from  a  small,  care- 
fully tended  garden  plot. 

At  the  Providence  Home  School  the  girls 
have  sold  jelly  made  from  the  wild  barberry, 
and  outings  are  planned  for  gathering  the  wild 
grapes  and  apples  for  jelly.  Green  tomatoes  in 
the  School  garden  have  been  made  into  pickles, 
and  the  beets,  turnips,  and  other  root  vegetables 
27 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

stored  away  for  the  winter.  The  corn  and  green 
summer  vegetables  were  used  by  the  girls  who 
took  care  of  the  garden  during  the  vacation 
months. 

There  is  a  demand  for  all  the  bread  and  cake 
baked  at  the  Providence  Home  School,  and  a 
little  sum  realized  from  this  was  turned  over  to 
the  superintendent  at  the  end  of  the  first  year. 
And  at  one  of  the  schools  where  home-making 
has  been  introduced,  all  the  tomatoes  raised  in 
the  school  garden  have  been  canned  and  stored 
away  for  the  hot  school  luncheons.  Carefully  pre- 
pared and  adapted  material  of  any  kind  has  a 
tendency  to  make  the  worker  rely  too  much  on 
externals.  So  when  pupils  are  encouraged  to  use 
materials  found  in  the  home  or  collected  from 
sources  near  at  hand,  they  find  a  practical  oppor- 
tunity for  creative  activity  and  the  spontaneous 
working-out  of  valuable  principles  of  education. 

In  every  locality  there  is  material  that  for  one 
reason  or  another  offers  special  economic  possi- 
bilities either  from  the  standpoint  of  use  or  art. 
In  California,  for  example,  there  are  the  fruits 
not  suitable  for  shipping  which  may  be  purchased 
for  very  little.  In  Florida  there  are  the  "drops" 
in  the  orange  and  grapefruit  groves  which  may  be 
had  almost  for  the  asking,  yet  it  is  often  impos- 
28 


TRADE  AND  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

sible  to  buy  good  home-made  orange  or  grape- 
fruit marmalade.  And  although  the  guava  grows 
easily  and  abundantly  in  Florida,  the  "guava- 
paste"  one  buys  is  made  in  Cuba  or  Honduras, 
and  in  the  tourist  season  it  is  sometimes  impos- 
sible to  get  good  home-made  guava  jelly.  The 
kumquat  is  abundant,  and  the  preserved  fruit  a 
great  delicacy,  but  no  housewife  has  yet  been 
enterprising  enough  to  put  this  on  the  market  for 
the  benefit  of  the  tourists.  In  the  South  there 
are  many  rarities  and  novelties  in  fruits  and  made 
delicacies  which  offer  an  opportunity  for  the  de- 
velopment of  home  industry,  particularly  in  those 
sections  visited  by  tourists.  A  few  successful 
home  schools  would  help  to  show  what  can  be 
done  with  home  market  gardens,  the  cultivation 
of  flowers  for  selling,  home  baking,  needlework, 
and  art  work  of  all  kinds. 


SPECIAL  THINGS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED 
THROUGH  THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

"  The  children  of  to-day  are  the  citizens  of 


EXPERIENCE  seems  to  show  that  the  best  possi- 
ble education  for  girls  from  fourteen  to  sixteen 
years  of  age  has  not  yet  been  evolved,  and  it  is 
probable  that  many  difficulties  pertaining  to  the 
higher  development  of  girls,  from  whatever  social 
group,  will  be  settled  through  the  home-making 
schools. 

In  the  first  place,  the  home  school  must  be 
an  expression  of  the  needs  of  any  community  in 
which  it  is  established.  The  home  life  expressed 
must  be  the  highest  possible  that  can  be  main- 
tained and  yet  meet  the  material  and  intellectual 
capacity  of  the  neighborhood,  for  no  education  is 
true  education  that  does  not  take  into  account 
all  the  assets  of  the  home  environment  of  the 
children.  The  homes  of  the  people  are  the  most 
vital  resources  open  to  school  and  settlement 
workers.  And  contributions  to  the  welfare  of  the 
community  which  can  be  made  in  any  way  from 

30 


THINGS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED 

the  use  of  local  products  must  be  considered,  as 
well  as  the  subtler  contributions  from  the  partic- 
ular temperament  and  morale  of  the  people.  This 
feature  of  adaptability  to  any  locality  and  capac- 
ity for  receiving  the  impress  of  any  nationality 
or  social  group  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
characteristics  of  the  home  school,  and  one  that 
gives  a  new  sort  of  vitality  to  all  the  work  con- 
nected with  it. 

Social,  racial,  and  industrial  conditions  in  our 
communities  are  not  what  they  were  fifty  years 
ago,  and  as  a  result  we  must  reorganize  our  forces 
to  meet  the  changed  conditions.  Industrial  fac- 
tors have  tended  to  disorganize  or  break  up  the 
family,  and  the  influx  of  alien  races  has  tended 
to  bring  in  ideas  of  domestic  life  foreign  to  our 
heritage  of  family  ties  and  ideals.  The  changing 
basis  of  social  and  moral  standards  has  made  un- 
certain the  footing  of  our  young  people. 

To-day  the  public  schools  are  the  greatest 
factor  in  maintaining  our  institutions,  ideals,  in- 
heritance, and  Americanism.  They  are  the  melt- 
ing-pot into  which  we  receive  little  souls  of  every 
race,  every  faith,  every  color,  and  send  forth 
loyal  American  citizens.  So  they  must  furnish 
examples  of  all  those  highest  forms  of  endeavor 
which  contribute  most  to  usefulness  and  good 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

citizenship.  The  school  population  is  like  some 
vast  fluid,  enfolding  our  cities,  for  which  we  must 
evolve  and  mark  out  wise,  effective,  and  adequate 
channels. 

The  public  schools,  industrial  work,  and  the 
home  must  share  the  responsibility  for  the  in- 
competence, lassitude,  and  lack  of  initiative  in  the 
youth  of  to-day.  The  time  is  now  here  when 
these  three  agents  are  cooperating  to  rectify  the 
evil  results  of  past  methods  and  practices.  The 
factory  is  welcoming  the  housecraft  courses  of- 
fered in  continuation  schools ;  the  home  is  asking 
a  closer  relation  with  books  and  tools ;  the  school 
is  developing  a  new  brotherhood.  The  growing 
harmony  among  these  educational  agents  has 
already  had  a  marked  effect  in  developing  a  love 
for  productive  work.  The  school  that  has  made 
it  possible  for  a  girl  to  create  tasteful  furniture 
from  packing-boxes,  or  to  paper  a  room,  or  to 
experiment  in  finishing  floors,  or  to  earn  her 
summer's  outing  by  waiting  on  table,  or  baking 
good  bread,  or  by  putting  into  practice  some 
other  craft,  has  done  a  vital  thing  for  the  com- 
munity. 

Industry  is  a  natural  impulse,  and  girls  may  be 
trained  to  be  as  eager  to  share  in  the  common 
service  as  to  get  personal  profit  from  the  common 

32 


THINGS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED 

wealth.  Indeed,  to  stimulate  initiative  and  the 
creative  instincts  is  to  awaken  an  intelligent 
desire  for  economic  competence  and  indepen- 
dence. Certainly  the  widest,  undeveloped  field  in 
our  public  school  system  is  that  of  the  home 
school,  offering  as  it  does  a  method  that  at  once 
appeals  to  the  play  spirit  of  the  child,  its  natural 
yearning  for  the  genial  warmth  of  the  home  at- 
mosphere, and  its  sense  of  power  in  doing  prac- 
tical, helpful  things.  This  is  the  opportunity  for 
the  educator,  the  long-sought  chance  for  self- 
expression  on  the  part  of  the  child,  and  the 
dawning  in  the  parent  of  the  possibility  of  hold- 
ing together  the  family  through  new  and  pro- 
gressive ideals  of  home  life.  For  the  home  is  the 
most  important  place  for  the  training  of  charac- 
ter and  citizenship,  however  valuable  may  be  the 
organized  activity  of  the  school,  or  the  democracy 
of  the  street.  The  home  ideals  are  the  only  ideals 
from  which  there  is  no  appeal.  "  The  way  we  do 
things  at  home"  forms  the  eternal  yea  and  nay 
for  the  child,  after  all.  The  comments  of  the 
children  themselves  make  the  situation  clearer 
than  any  amount  of  theory.  All  who  have  had 
experience  in  teaching  know  what  it  means  to 
be  confronted  with  such  remarks  as  these:  "My 
mother  says  you  take  cold  if  you  take  a  bath  in 

33 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

the  winter";  or,  "My  father  won't  let  us  open 
the  windows";  or,  "My  mother  lets  us  have  all 
the  tea  and  coffee  we  want" ;  or,  "They  say  we 
don't  need  any  toothbrushes  until  we're  older." 
It  is  clear  we  shall  have  to  educate  a  generation 
of  fathers  and  mothers  before  we  can  see  many 
changes  in  the  homes. 

But  new  ideals  are  being  established,  and  the 
children  tell  us  this,  too,  by  their  comments,  as 
these  two  remarks  from  children  in  the  Provi- 
dence Home  School  will  show:  "I  love  to  be 
brought  up  in  this  way !  And  I  am  going  to  bring 
up  all  my  children  just  like  this ";  and  this: 
"Father  read  aloud  to  us  last  night  just  as  you 
do ;  he  read  a  poem  from  the  daily  paper  and 
something  from  a  classical  book." 

The  instinct  of  imitation  may  be  relied  on  to 
bring  about  many  changes  it  would  be  most  diffi- 
cult to  effect  through  any  formal  preachments. 
And  it  is  through  the  establishment  of  whole- 
some standards  for  the  home  that  we  shall  most 
surely  promote  the  assimilation  of  the  immigrant 
population. 

The  play  spirit 

Perhaps  there  is  nothing  we  need  more,  here 
in  America,  than  the  spirit  of  play  —  a  sort  of 

34 


THINGS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED 

abandonment  to  recreation  and  enjoyment.  Not, 
of  course,  the  enjoyment  that  has  amusement, 
merely,  for  its  end  and  is  concerned  chiefly  with 
moving  pictures,  dance  pavilions,  and  sensational 
sports  of  the  Coney  Island  type;  but  the  kind  of 
enjoyment  that  stimulates  an  intelligent  delight 
in  all  wholesome  and  diverting  forms  of  recrea- 
tion. In  their  desire  for  some  form  of  sensation, 
the  youth  of  to-day  seem  to  be  losing  the  power 
to  enjoy  sports  of  skill,  or  the  games  and  pas- 
times that  require  some  mental  energy  and  ac- 
tivity. Summer  playgrounds  are  doing  much  to 
direct  and  stimulate  an  intelligent  play  spirit  in 
the  younger  children,  but  the  working-girl,  in 
the  monotonous  round  of  her  life,  meets  little 
that  makes  an  appeal  to  the  play  side  of  her 
nature.  Often  she  becomes  strangely  stolid  and 
unsusceptible  to  all  influences  for  the  free  and 
spontaneous  enjoyment  of  sports  and  games.  She 
lacks  the  physical  energy  for  active  games,  and 
the  perseverance  and  mental  application  for  the 
quiet  ones.  Those  who  have  studied  the  youth  at 
the  dance  halls  and  in  the  audiences  at  the  mov- 
ing-picture shows  have  been  struck  with  their 
lack  of  animation  and  esprit ;  at  the  theater  it 
takes  the  objective  humor  of  the  buffoon  to  pro- 
voke much  response.  The  greater  isolation  of  the 

35 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

homes  of  even  twenty-five  years  ago,  and  the  lack 
of  public  amusements  in  the  cities  and  villages, 
conferred  a  benefit  upon  the  children  in  making 
them  inventive  and  resourceful  in  devising  their 
own  pleasure.  Aside  from  the  games  and  various 
tricks  and  plays  for  entertaining  younger  broth- 
ers and  sisters,  that  form  a  regular  part  of  the 
amusements  of  the  home  school,  there  are  many 
activities  that  help  to  create  an  atmosphere  of 
recreation.  The  school  garden,  with  all  its  out- 
door freedom  in  the  planting,  the  care,  and  later 
the  picking  of  vegetables  and  flowers,  is  a  whole- 
some form  of  recreation.  The  joy  which  the 
children  who  are  deprived  of  home  gardens  take 
in  picking  and  arranging  flowers  is  sometimes 
pathetic,  and  often  some  child  will  beg  for  the 
discarded  bouquets  to  take  home.  Reading  aloud, 
lectures,  musical  evenings,  and  occasional  trips 
to  museums  and  art  galleries  and  out  into  the 
country,  all  contribute  something  to  the  play 
side  of  life. 

In  the  Providence  Home  School  the  girls  have 
given  simple  plays,  making  their  own  costumes 
and  adapting  and  arranging  their  own  simple 
stage-setting.  There  is,  perhaps,  no  form  of 
amusement  that  gives  so  much  pleasure  to  all 
as  this. 

36 


THINGS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED 

Domestic  service 

The  interest  and  enthusiasm  many  girls  show 
concerning  all  matters  of  housekeeping  seems  to 
indicate  that  the  general  distaste  for  domestic 
service  is  not  directed  so  much  to  the  work  itself 
as  to  the  conditions  which  govern  this  employ- 
ment. There  is  a  gregarious  instinct  in  humanity 
that  draws  people  into  pleasures  or  occupations 
where  there  is  association  with  others,  and  it  is 
this,  largely,  that  has  established  a  preference 
for  those  employments  that  offer  social  inter- 
course, and  for  work  in  cities  rather  than  work 
in  the  rural  districts.  The  isolation  of  domestic 
service,  at  least  as  it  is  now  organized,  is  one  of 
the  first  things  to  turn  young  girls  away  from  it. 
"  It 's  too  lonesome  for  me  "  is  the  comment  one 
so  often  receives  from  the  girls  themselves.  And 
in  housework  a  girl's  duties  and  hours  of  recrea- 
tion are  rarely  outlined  as  definitely  as  they  ought 
to  be,  which  tends  to  develop  the  feeling  that  she 
lacks  independence  and  that  her  work  is  never 
done. 

No  one  looks  down  upon  a  woman  here  in 
America  for  doing  her  own  housework,  and  no 
one  considers  service  to  a  business  employer 
menial,  and  so  it  is  not  easy  to  explain  just  why 

37 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

domestic  service  is  universally  considered  de- 
meaning, and  for  this  reason  looked  upon  with 
distaste  by  the  wage-earning  girl.  The  good  wages 
paid  for  general  housework,  and  the  fact  that 
board  and  room  are  furnished,  make  it  possible 
for  a  girl  to  save  more  money  than  in  most  em- 
ployments, and  at  a  far  smaller  risk  to  health  and 
physical  comfort.  Still,  she  continues  to  choose 
other  occupations  which,  apparently,  have  less  to 
offer.  The  attitude  between  mistress  and  maid 
is  rarely  as  satisfactory  as  that  which  exists  be- 
tween the  business  employer  and  his  help;  some- 
thing of  the  old  servile  idea  still  seems  to  cling 
to  the  relations  of  mistress  and  servant. 

The  fact  that  she  must  leave  her  home  and 
break  up  the  home  associations  keeps  many  a 
girl  from  going  into  domestic  service,  and  in 
preference  she  will  enter  the  store  or  factory  and 
still  keep  in  the  family  circle.  One  of  the  objec- 
tionable features  would  be  removed  if  this  em- 
ployment could  be  organized  more  as  others  are, 
offering  more  freedom  and  independence  and  the 
possibility  of  living  at  home.  Indeed,  many  of 
the  sanest  thinkers  feel  that  the  problem  of  do- 
mestic service  will  be  most  satisfactorily  solved 
by  the  somewhat  new  regime  of  having  the  house- 
work done  by  competent  girls  who  come  in  to 

38 


THINGS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED 

work  by  the  day  or  for  a  few  hours  of  each  day, 
instead  of  by  a  servant  who  makes  her  home  with 
the  family.  This  plan  has  been  tried  more  or  less 
all  over  America  and  almost  invariably  with  suc- 
cess, although  maintained  without  proper  organ- 
ization. Under  such  conditions,  the  woman  in 
charge  of  a  household  can  do  just  what  part  of 
the  work  she  prefers,  and  can  hire  some  one  to 
do  those  tasks  she  does  not  have  time  or  taste 
for. 

For  years  Jane  Addams  has  contended  that 
employment  bureaus  should  be  managed  by  the 
public  schools,  and  an  opportunity  for  this  is 
surely  opened  through  the  home  school.  The 
work  in  these  schools  could  be  so  organized  that 
the  public  would  be  greatly  benefited  in  being  able 
to  secure  cooks,  waitresses,  laundresses,  seam- 
stresses, and  skilled  labor  in  any  branch  of  house- 
craft from  schools  where  the  work  is  carried  on 
from  the  standpoint  of  both  theory  and  practice. 

If  the  public  schools  could  offer  skilled  and 
reliable  workers  to  meet  the  ever-increasing  de- 
mand for  efficiency  in  domestic  service,  such  a 
condition  would  help  to  put  domestic  service  on 
a  plane  of  equality  with  other  vocations,  a  posi- 
tion it  ought  to  occupy  in  the  industrial  world. 
The  recognition  of  the  importance  and  dignity 

39 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

of  domestic  service  by  the  public  through  the 
public  schools,  and  the  social  democracy  exist- 
ing among  the  girls  themselves,  would  do  much 
toward  removing  the  silly  prejudice  against  this 
most  useful  and  interesting  line  of  work. 

Here  is  a  big  problem  and  a  splendid  oppor- 
tunity open  to  the  home  school,  and  if  some  sat- 
isfactory solution  can  be  found  for  the  many  vex- 
ing questions  of  domestic  service,  a  truly  great 
thing  will  thereby  be  accomplished  for  the  peace 
and  prosperity  of  American  homes. 


VI 

A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  THE  WORK  IN  THE 
HOME  SCHOOL 

Grammar  and  high  school  credit  for  home  school 
work 

IT  must  be  distinctly  understood  that  the  course 
of  study  and  activities  outlined  here  are  merely 
given  as  suggestions  from  which  better  working 
programs  for  any  given  locality  may  be  devel- 
oped. Much  of  the  work  and  methods  here  set 
forth  has  been  tried  and  found  satisfactory  in 
the  housecraft  schools  of  Providence,  Boston, 
Cincinnati,  and  Los  Angeles,  but  work  adapted 
to  one  place  is  not  always  suitable  for  a  differ- 
ent locality  unless  modified,  and  the  teacher 
must  adapt  the  courses  to  suit  his  particular 
local  conditions. 

It  is  believed  that  the  less  formal  are  the  rela- 
tions of  the  home  school  with  the  grammar  or 
high  schools,  the  better  will  be  the  results. 
While  the  work  supplements  the  academic 
studies,  the  freer  it  can  be  kept  from  scholastic 
routine  the  more  vital  it  will  be.  One  reason 
why  the  activities  may  strike  at  the  root  of 

41 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

things  in  a  new  way  is  that  the  home  school  is 
not  dominated  by  the  tenets  of  any  higher  in- 
stitution and  may  escape  the  alluring  dangers 
of  routine  method. 

It  is  desirable,  however,  that  the  grammar 
and  high  schools,  in  granting  their  regular  diplo- 
mas, should  be  willing  to  recognize  the  work  of 
the  home  school  by  giving  a  time  allowance  for 
the  work  done  there.  Her  diploma  is  very  dear 
to  the  heart  of  the  grammar  school  girl  who  will 
never  be  able  to  win  a  credential  for  more  ad- 
vanced work.  And  with  a  diploma  she  is,  also, 
often  better  able  to  secure  a  good  position.  The 
necessity  for  helping  in  the  support  of  the  fam- 
ily that  takes  many  a  girl  out  of  the  seventh 
or  eighth  grade  makes  it  impossible  for  her  to 
get  her  grammar  school  diploma.  Her  day 
work,  however,  in  shop  or  factory  would  not  pre- 
clude her  attendance  at  home-making  classes 
conducted  at  night,  or  by  day  on  a  schedule  ap- 
proved by  factory  owners.  The  work  so  offered 
might  add  greatly  to  her  industrial  efficiency, 
and  in  any  case  would  enable  her  to  enter  more 
successfully  into  the  struggle  for  happiness  and 
for  daily  bread. 

The  idea  is  not  merely  to  make  the  earning 
capacity  of  a  girl  greater,  but,  rather,  to  develop 
42 


A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WORK 

from  the  stratum  where  economic  pressure  is 
greatest  a  new  type  of  woman,  —  clean,  intelli- 
gent, industrious,  and  competent.  The  work  in 
housecraft,  although  elastic  and  meeting  more 
individual  needs  than  the  fixed  demands  of 
a  class,  is  so  planned  as  to  offer  a  two-year 
course  for  the  older  girls  and  a  three-year  course 
for  the  younger  ones. 

Outline  for  the  work  in  the  home  school 

FIRST  YEAR. 

Sewing :  Simple  hand  and  machine  work. 

Aprons,  caps,  holders,  etc.,  and  hemming  linen. 
Work-bags,   laundry-bags,    handkerchief-bags, 

and  similar  articles  for  learning  the  different 

stitches. 

Patching,  mending,  and  darning. 
Cutting  simple  patterns  for  all  articles  made. 
Cooking:  Plain  household  cooking,  including  the  most 

simple  dishes  suitable  for  breakfast,  luncheon, 

or  supper,  and  dinner. 
Bread-making. 

Elementary  discussions  of  food  values. 
Marketing. 

SECOND   YEAR. 

Sewing:  Hand  and  machine  sewing. 

Under-garments,  shirt-waists  for  women,  shirts 
and  shirt-waists  for  boys,  and  underwear  for 
little  girls. 

43 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

Embroidery,  crochet  work,  knitting,  etc. 
Making  and  adapting  patterns. 
Cooking:  Household  cooking  and  planning  of  menus. 
Special  dishes  —  salads,  ices  and  ice  creams, 

desserts,  etc. 
Preserving  and  making  "pickles,  relishes,  and 

jelly. 
Dressing  poultry  and  preparing  special  meat 

dishes. 

Discussion  of  food  values. 
Marketing. 

THIRD  YEAR. 

Sewing:  Home  dressmaking  and  making  over. 
Home  millinery. 

Adapting  patterns  and  making  linings. 
Designing  as  applied  to  dressmaking  and  mil- 
linery. 

Making  bows,  buttons,  folds,  etc.,  for  trimming. 
Clothing  for  babies  and  young  children. 
Cooking :  Invalid  cooking. 

Preparation  of  foods  for  babies. 

Proper  foods  for  growing  children. 

Cold  luncheons  for  laboring  men  and  women. 

Physiological  and  nutritive  values  of  foods. 

Preparation  of  daily  home  menus. 

Marketing. 

The  HOUSEKEEPING  course  is  carried  through 
the  three  years,  and  on  account  of  the  nature 
of  the  work  little  difference  can  be  made  in  the 
requirements  for  each  year.  All  of  the  work, 
however,  may  be  planned  with  reference  to  pro- 

44 


A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WORK 

gression,  and  with  a  view  to  creating  independ- 
ence and  initiative.  The  course  suggested  here 
includes :  — 

Sweeping. 

Dusting. 

Care  of  floors,  rugs,  curtains,  etc. 

Removing  stains. 

Laundry  work. 

Bed-making. 

Different  ways  of  spreading  the  table  and  serving  a 

meal  in  the  home. 
Training  for  the  waitress. 

The  course  in  HYGIENE  is  carried  through  the 
three  years  and  includes  :  — 

First  aid  to  the  injured. 

Home  nursing. 

Care  of  the  teeth. 

Care  of  the  complexion. 

Care  of  the  hair  (scalp,  shampoo,  etc.), 

Care  of  the  hands. 

Care  of  the  feet. 

Bathing. 

Care  of  babies  and  young  children  with  special  refer- 
ence to  feeding,  clothing,  bathing,  accidents,  and 
illness. 

Sex  hygiene. 

In  connection  with  the  courses  in  COOKING, 
HOUSEKEEPING,  and  HYGIENE,  the  following  mat- 
ters pertaining  to  the  management  of  the  home 
receive  special  consideration :  — 

45 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

Molds  —  a  form  of  plant  life  causing  decay. 

Milk  tests. 

Butter  tests. 

Coffee  tests. 

Simple  water  tests. 

Making  of  niters. 

Making  of  fireless  cookers. 

Home  heating. 

Home  ventilation. 

Meter  readings. 

Sanitary  plumbing. 

Electric  bells. 

Cost  of  home  lights  —  suggestions  for  improvements. 

Home  gardening. 

Instruction  is  given  also  in  basketry,  chair- 
caning,  the  making  of  box  furniture,  papering 
and  painting  rooms,  and  other  arts  that  can  be 
used  to  advantage  in  the  home. 

Hygiene 

It  is  not  necessary  or  even  desirable  that  the 
work  in  hygiene  in  the  home  school  include  all 
the  factors  that  contribute  toward  a  sound 
physical  development.  Apparatus  work,  social, 
esthetic  and  gymnastic  dancing,  corrective  work 
with  individuals,  are  all  necessary  and  important 
in  the  wider  field  of  physical  culture,  but  these 
must  be  cared  for  through  other  organizations. 
Perhaps  the  two  most  important  things  that  can 


A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WORK 

be  taught  through  the  home  school  are  personal 
hygiene  and  hygienic  cooking.  Almost  all  our 
troubles,  either  in  the  economic  realm  or  social 
realm,  can  be  traced  to  something  wrong  in  our 
conceptions  of  hygiene.  If  we  are  diseased  or 
unhappy,  it  is  largely  because  we  are  not  well 
born  or  not  well  fed.  The  teaching  of  hygiene 
is  conceded  to  be  one  of  the  greatest  necessities 
in  vocational  education.  We  may  debate  the 
wisdom  of  giving  a  place  to  the  study  of  Eng- 
lish, industrial  history,  civic  responsibility,  or  any 
other  subject  dear  to  the  heart,  but  hygiene  has 
undisputed  right  to  first  place  on  any  course  of 
study. 

The  informal  atmosphere  of  the  home  school 
makes  it  possible  to  discuss  all  matters  in  a 
simple,  direct  way,  which  relieves  the  situation 
of  embarrassment.  The  girls,  coming  under 
the  teachers  in  small  groups  of  not  more  than 
ten,  soon  become  individualized,  each  personality 
making  some  appeal  to  the  teacher's  wider  know- 
ledge and  experience. 

As  indicated  by  the  outline  for  the  course  of 
study,  the  hygiene  will  include  such  matters 
as  properly  belong  to  the  administration  of  the 
home,  as  what  to  do  in  emergencies,  the  family 
health,  food,  ventilation,  clothing,  home  sanita- 

47 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

tion,  etc.  It  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  the 
girls  will  show  the  greatest  interest  in  these  sub- 
jects; the  instinct  of  self-preservation  in  the 
human  race  almost  invariably  responds  to  any 
convincing  suggestion  for  physical  betterment. 
Each  season  of  the  year,  all  localities,  and  many 
employments  bring  their  own  form  of  danger  and 
accident,  and  these  must  be  studied  and  pre- 
sented with  a  view  to  reducing  those  casualties 
that  occur  through  ignorance.  In  knowing  what 
to  do,  the  fear  and  panic  in  emergencies  are 
largely  removed.  Ragpickers  gathering  bits  of 
coal  from  the  piles  of  ashes  on  the  railroad  tracks 
are  often  badly  burned  from  having  the  clothing 
take  fire  from  some  smoldering  ember ;  careless- 
ness in  the  use  of  gasolene,  heedlessness  in  cook- 
ing, defective  chimneys,  and  many  other  agents 
contribute  many  accidents  from  burning,  yet  few 
of  the  people  most  liable  to  these  dangers  know 
what  to  do  for  burns,  a  great  amount  of  suffering 
being  the  result  of  this  ignorance. 

Children  and  adults  suffer  much  from  various 
skin  diseases  that  could  be  avoided  by  simple 
forms  of  treatment  and  greater  care  in  regard  to 
cleanliness.  More  and  more  does  one  become 
convinced  that  an  appalling  amount  of  disease  is 
the  result  of  ignorance,  and,  also,  is  tolerated  or 

48 


A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WORK 

regarded  with  indifference  through  lack  of  know- 
ledge. 

Although  the  necessity  for  instruction  in  the 
hygiene  of  sex  forces  itself  upon  one  more  and 
more  in  the  ever-changing  phases  of  our  complex 
social  conditions,  yet  many  thoughtful  and  able 
men  and  women  do  not  feel  that  a  solution  of  this 
difficulty  will  come  through  formal  instruction 
and  the  presentation  of  biological  facts  to  minds 
wholly  untrained  in  scientific  modes  of  thought 
and  scientific  conceptions  of  the  world  in  which 
they  live.  The  essentially  emotional  character  of 
all  matters  pertaining  to  sex  puts  them  beyond  the 
reach  of  medical  charts  and  biological  theories. 
Besides,  there  is  a  quality  in  youth  itself  that  is 
too  poetic  to  admit  of  any  touch  in  these  subjects 
save  that  which  takes  full  account  of  all  the  emo- 
tional, spiritual,  and  mysterious  aspects.  In  the 
minds  of  the  finest  men  and  women,  something 
spiritual  will  always  cling  to  questions  of  sex  and 
put  an  eternal  denial  to  any  matter-of-fact,  un- 
anointed  handling  of  the  most  vital  and  priceless 
mystery  of  humanity.  A  girl's  knowledge  of  her- 
self is  something  of  gradual  growth  and  comes 
more  through  an  unfolding  influence  from  a  wise 
mother  or  teacher  than  through  the  presenta- 
tion of  physiological  or  biological  fact.  Wherever 

49 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

there  is  the  atmosphere  of  home,  or  consideration 
for  others,  or  responsibility  for  younger  children, 
then  is  there  the  atmosphere  for  molding  the  sex 
instincts  of  the  girl  and  leading  her  out  into 
wider  knowledge  of  her  functions.  In  the  atmos- 
phere of  the  home  school,  with  the  domestic 
pursuits,  the  discussion  of  proper  amusements, 
the  sewing  and  cooking  for  babies,  the  training 
in  care  of  younger  brothers  and  sisters,  and  the 
scientific  consideration  of  all  matters  relating  to 
health,  there  is  an  ideal  opportunity  for  present- 
ing sex  hygiene  in  a  manner  that  will  strengthen 
the  fundamentals  of  character  and  make  for  the 
betterment  of  the  race. 

Work  in  the  South  and  elsewhere 

In  the  South  matters  of  home  sanitation  would 
take  a  somewhat  different  aspect,  and  problems 
not  met  in  the  North  would  present  themselves 
for  solution.  Hookworm,  "ground  itch,"  mos- 
quitoes, and  their  connection  with  malaria,  dengue 
fever,  and  yellow  fever,  how  to  keep  the  house 
free  from  ants  and  cockroaches,  diet  for  the  sum- 
mer months,  and  many  similar  topics  would  come 
up  for  consideration  in  home-making  in  the 
South. 

In  all  tourist  towns,  sanitation  in  connection 

50 


A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WOfcK 

with  tuberculosis  ought  to  be  carefully  discussed 
with  the  girls,  to  give  them  a  realization  of  the 
dangers  to  the  community  from  carelessness  in 
regard  to  this  disease  and  all  infection  that  may 
be  conveyed  by  contact. 

In  cooking,  the  teacher  would  utilize  all  the 
products  of  the  locality,  and  would  present  appe- 
tizing ways  of  serving  all  the  fruits  and  vege- 
tables which  are  to  be  had  for  little  expense, 
during  the  year,  each  in  its  season.  In  Florida 
the  products  are  particularly  varied,  including  the 
fruits  and  vegetables  of  the  North  and  also  many 
sub-tropical  products.  The  problem  of  diet  con- 
fronting the  teacher  is  a  most  interesting  one, 
and  one  that  offers  opportunity  for  originality 
and  adventure,  as  the  commercial  value  of  many 
delicious  fruits  and  vegetables  has  not  yet  been 
established,  or  the  different  palatable  ways  of 
serving  them  exhausted.  In  Florida  the  season 
requiring  most  study  as  to  diet  is  the  time  from 
about  the  first  of  July  to  the  first  of  October,  the 
season  when  the  sun  is  too  hot  for  raising  most 
vegetables,  and  one  must  depend  upon  the  tropical 
products  and  the  rather  scant  variety  of  Northern 
vegetables  supplied  by  the  local  markets.  Good 
health  during  the  warm,  Southern  summer  is 
dependent  upon  correct  diet,  and  the  subject  is 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

worthy  careful  study.  A  large  field  is  open  here 
to  the  domestic  science  teacher  of  originality,  for 
developing  home  menus  that  shall  be  inexpen- 
sive, wholesome,  appetizing,  and  suited  to  the 
climate.  And  Nature,  always  helpful  and  sugges- 
tive, has  put  into  these  months  many  valuable 
foods.  The  eggplant  is  a  wholesome  substitute 
for  meat,  cheaper  and  more  healthful ;  the  okra, 
which  may  be  cooked  in  many  ways,  is  a  partic- 
ularly healthful  vegetable  for  hot  weather,  the 
mucilaginous  properties  having  a  soothing  action 
on  the  intestines ;  the  avocado  pear  has  scarcely 
a  parallel  for  richness  in  food  values,  as  salad 
or  as  dessert ;  the  citrous  fruits,  mangoes,  pine- 
apples, and  guavas,  all  add  variety  and  some 
healthful  agent  to  the  summer  diet. 

Economy  and  food  values 

From  the  beginning,  the  cost  of  all  materials 
used  must  be  discussed,  and  a  sense  of  relative 
values  developed.  It  is  an  unfortunate  fact  that 
the  working-girl  is  usually  extravagant  in  dress  ; 
her  tastes  do  not  lead  her  to  desire  books,  pic- 
tures, or  accomplishments,  and  her  spending 
money  as  a  rule  goes  for  cheap  amusements  and 
dress.  Girls  working  in  the  department  stores 
get  an  exaggerated  idea  of  the  importance  of 

52 


A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WORK 

dress  and  a  taste  for  expensive  materials,  and 
gratify  these  tastes  at  the  expense  of  other  things 
more  worth  while.  This  is  not  surprising,  for  in 
her  business  dealings  with  people  she  is  con- 
stantly catering  to  the  tastes  of  the  rich  and 
those  absorbed  in  the  problems  of  fashion,  and 
it  is  but  natural  that  she  should  form  her  stand- 
ards from  her  daily  experiences.  It  is  a  most 
profitable  exercise  to  have  girls  plan  a  wardrobe 
according  to  a  weekly  wage,  giving  dress  its  rela- 
tive value  and  making  simple  principles  of  art 
a  basis  rather  than  fashion.  No  meal  should  be 
prepared  or  garment  made  without  a  careful 
consideration  of  its  cost  and  its  relation  to  the 
other  expenses  of  the  household.  Any  child  old 
enough  to  cook  an  article  of  food  or  make  a  gar- 
ment is  old  enough  to  learn  how  to  select  it  and 
to  estimate  its  value  in  dollars  and  cents.  These 
matters,  informally  discussed,  may  be  developed 
into  a  practical  and  vital  course  on  the  manage- 
ment of  home  business  affairs. 

It  has  been  said  that  "  It  is  the  poor  man's 
money  that  is  most  injudiciously  spent  in  the 
market,  and  the  poor  man's  food  that  is  most 
badly  cooked  in  the  home."  On  the  other  hand, 
there  is  much  suffering  among  well-to-do  people 
from  eating  more  food  than  can  be  properly 

53 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

utilized  by  the  body.  Ignorance  as  to  the  simple 
principles  of  nutrition  results  in  a  great  waste 
of  money  and  a  reduced  efficiency  of  the  body. 
For  people  of  means,  the  injury  to  health  is  the 
greater  loss;  for  the  wage-earners,  the  money 
loss,  from  stress  of  circumstance,  is  the  immedi- 
ate consideration.  Indeed,  it  is  becoming  more 
and  more  evident  that  a  thorough  study  of  the 
physiological  and  nutritive  values  of  foods  should 
be  a  part  of  every  girl's  education. 

Observations  of  practical  life  and  scientific 
research  disclose  many  mistakes  in  food  econ- 
omy that  could  easily  be  prevented  through  edu- 
cation. Expensive  foods  are  used  when  cheaper 
ones  are  as  nutritious,  and  might  be  made  almost 
or  quite  as  palatable ;  the  diet  seldom  shows  a 
proper  balance  of  fuel  ingredients  and  flesh- 
forming  materials  ;  serious  errors  in  cooking  are 
made,  and  a  great  deal  of  fuel  wasted  ;  excessive 
quantities  of  food  are  eaten,  and  much  nutritive 
material  discarded  as  kitchen  refuse.  With  these 
general  deficiencies  in  mind,  there  is  a  definite 
line  of  work  in  practical  economy  and  food  values 
open  to  the  teacher  of  cooking  in  the  home 
school.  Many  neighborhood  settlements  and 
soup  kitchens  have  furnished  object  lessons  on 
the  food-purchasing  power  of  money,  and  the 

54 


A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WORK 

value  of  skillful  cooking  at  home  rather  than  ex- 
pensive market  products ;  and  there  is  needed  in 
our  public  school  instruction  just  such  an  oppor- 
tunity as  is  given  by  the  home  school  for  influ- 
encing the  prevailing  conceptions  of  home  cook- 
ing and  establishing  new  ideas  of  economy  and 
thrift. 

School  program 

If  the  work  at  the  home  school  is  offered  as  a 
regular  part  of  the  grade  instruction,  the  program 
will  be  planned  with  reference  to  the  other 
studies  as  a  part  of  the  regular  operating  day.  If, 
however,  the  home  school  is  entirely  independent 
of  the  grammar  school,  although  a  part  of  the 
public  school  system,  as  is  true  in  Providence, 
then  there  may  be  greater  freedom  in  the  pro- 
gram of  its  activities. 

The  hours  from  4  to  6  in  the  afternoon  may 
be  used  for  this  work,  the  three  classes,  sewing, 
cooking,  and  housekeeping  as  outlined  in  the 
course  of  study,  meeting  daily.  The  entire  period 
would  be  needed  for  the  cooking  and  for  some 
of  the  sewing  classes,  but  in  the  housekeeping 
the  two  hours  could  be  divided,  giving  a  chance 
for  bed-making,  cleaning,  mending,  and  the  vari- 
ous other  lines  of  instruction  included  in  this 

55 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

course.  The  group  of  girls  doing  the  laundry 
work  would  need  the  entire  period,  and  also  the 
group  preparing  the  dining-room  and  spreading 
the  table  for  the  serving  of  a  meal.  If  a  careful 
record  is  kept  of  the  work  of  each  girl,  a  rotation 
of  occupation  may  be  planned  to  give  the  mem- 
bers of  the  division  an  opportunity  to  do  all  the 
work  outlined  in  the  course. 

So  far  as  possible,  the  activities  outlined  for 
the  day  and  season  should  be  those  necessary  in 
any  well-ordered  home,  and  there  should  be  such 
correlation  and  harmony  between  the  various 
occupations  that  service  to  the  home  and  the 
welfare  of  the  family  would  everywhere  be  the 
'motif.  For  example,  since  the  kitchen  exists  to 
provide  for  the  dining-room,  there  must  be  daily 
cooperation  between  the  cooking  and  housekeep- 
ing classes,  and  so  far  as  possible  all  the  articles 
cooked  in  the  kitchen  should  be  served  in  the 
dining-room.  This  gives  practice  in  the  different 
ways  of  serving,  in  table  manners,  and  social  in- 
tercourse of  the  family  at  meal-time,  and  also  gives 
the  cooking  classes  experience  in  the  punctual  and 
appetizing  preparation  of  foods.  Planting  the 
kitchen  garden  in  the  spring,  canning  and  pickling 
vegetables  in  the  autumn,  making  gifts  for  Christ- 
mas, planning  games  and  amusements  for  the 

56 


A   GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  WORK 

long  winter  evenings,  and  countless  other  duties 
and  pleasures  may  be  used  to  demonstrate  ideals 
of  a  useful,  industrious,  and  happy  home  life. 

If,  as  an  incentive,  or  for  any  other  reason  it 
seems  advisable  to  mark  the  girls  on  their  work, 
it  is  obvious  that  some  system  of  marking  must 
be  used  that  will  indicate  the  fundamentals  of 
character  rather  than  skill.  The  marks  in  a  home 
school  should  form  a  basis  for  estimating  charac- 
ter and  personal  value,  and  should  give  credit 
for  intelligent  effort  and  those  qualities  that  win 
in  the  larger  sense,  as  well  as  for  excellence  in 
immediate  results. 

Where  as  little  positive  direction  is  given  as 
possible,  failure  to  accomplish  a  task  or  mis- 
takes that  arise  from  immaturity  are  of  far  less 
importance  than  the  ability  to  do  logical  think- 
ing, or  the  disposition  to  be  inventive  and  re- 
sourceful. 

Taking  this  point  of  view,  a  girl  should  be 
marked  on  such  qualities  as  loyalty,  punctuality, 
efficiency,  disposition,  endurance,  sense  of  duty, 
initiative,  quickness,  thoroughness,  etc.,  and  her 
rating  should,  in  a  sense,  indicate  her  present 
ability  as  well  as  her  potentiality  as  a  home- 
maker  or  worker  in  any  other  vocation. 


VII 

THE  HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE,  RHODE 
ISLAND 

Location 

MR.  RANDALL  J.  CONDON  was  one  of  the  first  of 
our  modern  educators  to  grasp  the  trend  of  the 
vocational  movement,  and  his  far-sightedness  is 
exemplified  in  the  move  made  while  he  was  super- 
intendent of  the  Providence  schools  for  secur- 
ing the  active  cooperation  of  the  Manufacturers' 
Association  of  Providence  with  the  public  school 
system,  and  in  extending  the  control  of  the 
schools  over  the  half-time  pupils  when  employed 
in  the  shops.  He  saw  that  the  necessity  for  pre- 
paring girls  to  become  home-makers  is  even 
greater  than  that  of  preparing  boys  to  enter  the 
factories,  and  it  was  his  clear  and  concrete  ideas 
as  to  the  scope,  function,  and  possibilities  of  a 
housecraft  school  for  girls  that  made  it  possible 
for  such  broad  and  varied  activities  to  crystallize 
in  the  Willard  Avenue  Home  School  of  Provi- 
dence. 

In  his  report  before  the  School  Committee, 
Mr.  Condon  said  :  — 

58 


HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE 

Comparatively  little  has  been  done  in  public 
schools  as  yet  to  prepare  girls  for  the  most  important 
and  most  difficult  of  all  feminine  vocations,  that  of 
housewife  and  mother.  I  want  the  teachers  in  the 
Home  School  to  feel  that  they  have  a  big  family  of 
girls  to  be  brought  up  in  the  old-fashioned  way. 
Since  the  home  is  of  more  importance  than  the  shop 
or  factory,  it  is  even  more  necessary  to  educate  girls 
for  motherhood  and  the  home  pursuits  than  to  edu- 
cate them  for  the  industries  or  the  professions. 

So  it  was  with  these  ideals  as  a  guide  that  the 
teachers  entered  into  the  work  of  this  new 
project. 

A  five-room  flat,  rather  below  the  average, 
perhaps,  situated  in  one  of  the  thickly  settled 
and  poorer  districts  of  the  city,  was  selected,  the 
object  being  to  show  what  may  be  done  to  make 
the  ordinary  tenement  attractive  and  homelike. 
The  arrangement  of  rooms  was  well  adapted  to 
the  new  enterprise,  including  a  hall,  living-room, 
sewing -room,  dining-room,  bedroom,  kitchen, 
bathroom,  and  a  basement  laundry. 

Before  the  opening,  circulars  were  printed  and 
distributed,  stating  briefly  the  object  of  the  new 
school  and  the  time  and  place  for  registration. 
The  teachers  awaited  the  developments  of  regis- 
tration day  with  much  curiosity  and  interest.  As 

59 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

the  hour  for  opening  approached,  the  narrow 
street  rapidly  filled  with  children,  and  immedi- 
ately in  front  of  the  Home  School  they  were 
crowded  so  thickly  it  was  impossible  for  teams 
to  pass,  and  one  could  hear  the  excited  call  of 
ice-man  and  fruit- vender  to  "  Clear  the  street !  " 
Many  disappointed  children  were  turned  away, 
as  it  was  impossible  to  take  those  under  thirteen 
years  of  age ;  but  the  first  week  showed  an  en- 
rollment of  over  one  hundred  and  seventy-five 
girls  and  an  ever-growing  waiting-list.  Almost 
every  week  some  little  girl  would  appear  at  the 
door,  saying,  "I  was  n't  old  enough  to  come  when 
it  opened,  but  now  I've  turned  thirteen."  One 
youngster  already  enrolled  asked,  with  time-sav- 
ing forethought,  "  Can  Tessie  come  to  school  next 
Monday  ?  Her  birthday 's  on  Saturday  and  she  '11 
be  thirteen  "  ;  and  one  tiny  child  came  to  the  door, 
saying,  "  Can  I  come  to  the  Home  School  ?  I  was 
only  nine  years  old  when  it  opened,  but  now  I  'm 
eleven." 

Furnishing  the  home 

The  problem  of  renovating  and  furnishing  the 

flat  was  put  into  the  hands  of  the  pupils  of  the 

Technical  High  School,  and  thus  became  to  them 

a  practical  application  of  their  theoretical  work. 

60 


HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE 

Under  the  guidance  of  teachers  in  the  vari- 
ous departments  of  home  economics,  the  Home 
School  afforded  vital  lessons  in  home-making,  as 
the  pupils  were  confronted  with  the  task  of  fur- 
nishing and  decorating  a  real  home  at  the  least 
possible  expenditure,  —  the  problem  that  con- 
fronts every  family  of  moderate  means.  The 
pupils  of  the  Technical  High  selected  the  wall 
paper,  planned  the  color  scheme  to  be  carried 
out  in  the  different  rooms,  chose  furniture,  paint 
and  floor  stain,  and  made  and  decorated  the  sim- 
ple, tasteful  curtains.  The  boys  as  well  as  the 
girls  aided  in  making  articles  for  the  Home 
School,  contributing  picture  frames,  towel-racks, 
ironing-boards,  a  cabinet  for  the  bathroom,  a  large 
clothes  frame  for  the  laundry,  an  ornamental 
lamp,  and  other  articles  for  home  use  and  adorn- 
ment. So  before  the  Home  School  was  opened, 
in  the  hands  of  the  wise  superintendent,  it  had 
served  as  the  most  practical  sort  of  a  laboratory 
for  many  students  in  home  economics. 

It  has  been  the  desire  of  those  connected  with 
the  school  that  it  should  be  a  growth  of  the  con- 
ceptions and  needs  of  those  who  occupy  it ;  and  so 
many  things  in  the  furnishing  were  left  for  the 
Home  School  girls  to  complete,  thus  bringing  a 
lesson  of  responsibility  as  well  as  appealing  to 
61 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

the  home-making  instincts  of  a  girl's  nature. 
During  the  first  weeks  they  were  busy  hemming 
tablecloths,  napkins,  and  dish-towels,  and  were 
expressing  their  taste  and  ingenuity  in  hanging 
curtains  and  pictures,  placing  furniture,  arrang- 
ing dishes  in  the  china-closet,  and  in  getting  ac- 
quainted with  the  problems  of  cleaning  and  set- 
tling a  new  home.  Since  the  opening,  the  girls 
have  done  all  the  work  connected  with  the  school 
except  caring  for  the  furnace.  They  have  built 
the  fire  in  the  kitchen  range,  and  have  done  all 
the  cleaning  and  all  the  laundry  work.  The  wash- 
ing and  ironing  represents  no  small  amount  of 
effort  and  responsibility,  and  the  articles  laun- 
dered include  hand-towels,  dish-towels,  table- 
cloths, napkins,  doilies,  drawn-work,  table  and 
bureau  covers,  aprons,  curtains,  and  the  sheets, 
pillowcases,  and  spreads  used  in  the  demonstra- 
tions of  bed-making. 

Operating  day 

The  work  has  been  divided  into  three  parts,  — 
the  sewing,  the  cooking,  and  the  housework,  — 
a  teacher  being  in  charge  of  each  department. 
As  the  home  environment  and  size  of  the  rooms 
necessarily  limit  the  number  of  pupils  which  it  is 
possible  to  accommodate  satisfactorily,  the  girls 
62 


HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE 

have  been  divided  into  groups  of  about  ten,  one 
group  under  the  supervision  of  each  teacher. 
Thus,  one  division  numbering  about  thirty  at- 
tends on  Monday  and  Tuesday  afternoons  from 
4  to  6 ;  a  second  attends  on  Monday  and  Tues- 
day evenings  from  7.30  to  9.30  ;  a  third  division 
numbering  about  the  same  attends  on  Wednes- 
day and  Thursday  afternoons  of  each  week ;  a 
fourth  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday  evenings  ;  a 
fifth  on  Friday  afternoons,  Friday  evening  being 
reserved  for  social  gatherings.  The  group  of  girls 
having  sewing  for  one  lesson,  has  housekeeping 
the  next,  and  cooking  for  the  third  lesson,  com- 
ing back  again  to  sewing  for  the  fourth  lesson. 
With  this  rotation  and  the  careful  records  kept 
by  the  teachers,  every  girl  receives  instruction 
in  all  the  work  of  the  three  departments.  The 
afternoon  classes  are  made  up  chiefly  of  children 
from  the  grammar  schools,  and  the  evening  classes 
of  working-girls  who  are  employed  during  the 
day. 

The  sewing  has  included  the  hemming  of  linen 
and  sheets  for  the  school,  the  making  of  hold- 
ers and  other  simple  household  articles,  mending 
when  necessary,  and  the  making  of  aprons  and 
caps  for  cooking  and  serving.  The  equipment  of 
the  sewing-room  is  simple  but  adequate,  including 

63 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

a  sewing-machine,  low  sewing-chairs,  a  cutting- 
table,  a  chest  of  drawers  for  keeping  materials, 
and  a  workbox  for  each  girl  fitted  out  with  the 
necessary  articles  for  sewing. 

The  cooking  has  been  planned  to  give  a  know- 
ledge of  the  proper  preparation  of  simple  home 
food  and  the  serving  of  it  to  a  small  family. 
Wholesome  and  well-balanced  combinations  of 
food  suitable  for  breakfast,  luncheon  or  supper, 
and  dinner  have  been  prepared  and  served,  and 
special  attention  has  been  given  to  the  making  of 
good  bread,  biscuit,  muffins,  and  such  essentials 
in  cooking. 

A  comprehensive  course  in  housework  has 
been  carried  out,  including :  — 

1.  Bed-making  and  all  that  pertains  to  the 

hygienic  care  of  the  sleeping-room. 
Bed-making  for  the  sick  and  care  of  the 
home  sick-room. 

2.  Cleaning,  sweeping,  dusting  and  care  of 

the  floors,  rugs,  curtains,  draperies,  etc. 

3.  Laundry  work  ;  the  theory  of  cleansing ; 

how  to  bleach,  remove  stains,  etc. 

4.  How  to  serve  meals ;  how  to  spread  the 

table  and  care  for  the  linen;  table 
manners,  etc. 
64 


HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE 

5.  Informal  talks  on  hygiene. 

6.  Informal  talks  on  books,  nature  study, 

etc. 

The  work  in  hygiene  has  embraced  what  to  do 
in  emergencies,  care  of  the  hair,  care  of  the  teeth, 
complexion,  the  feet,  as  well  as  more  intimate 
matters  of  hygiene.  The  results  have  been  aston- 
ishing, showing  many  interesting  developments 
and  proving  beyond  question  that  many  things 
can  be  handled  in  the  home  environment  that  it 
is  impossible  to  approach  adequately  in  the  ordi- 
nary schoolroom. 

The  recreation  hours  with  books  have  included 
reading  aloud,  discussions  of  poetry,  pictures,  and 
the  home  life  of  famous  Americans,  —  home  life 
at  Mount  Vernon,  at  Longfellow's  home  in  Cam- 
bridge, at  Esek  Hopkins's  home  in  Providence, 
and  at  other  historical  homes  in  New  England 
and  elsewhere.  Occasional  walks  for  the  outdoor 
observation  of  birds  and  flowers  have  helped  to 
stimulate  an  interest  in  books  on  outdoor  life 
and  recreation,  and  to  create  an  enthusiasm  for 
new  avenues  of  enjoyment  and  benefit. 

In  many  ways  the  work  of  the  evening  divi- 
sions has  differed  from  that  of  the  afternoon, 
an  effort  having  been  made  to  fit  the  work  spe- 

65 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

cifically  to  the  needs  of  the  older  girls.  These 
classes  are  composed  of  working-girls,  many  of 
whom  are  looking  toward  having  homes  of  their 
own  in  the  near  future,  and  so  the  problems  of 
the  selection  of  all  articles  for  home  adornment 
and  use,  simple  ways  of  preparing  and  serving 
meals  and  offering  hospitality,  and  other  matters 
pertaining  directly  to  the  management  of  a  home, 
have  received  special  attention.  As  a  part  of  their 
work  the  evening  girls  have  been  fitting  up  an 
attic  room  in  the  tenement,  selecting  and  putting 
on  the  wall  paper  themselves,  painting  the  wood- 
work, finishing  the  floors,  making  articles  of  furni- 
ture and  curtains,  and  framing  the  pictures. 

Home  economics  and  ideals 

In  all  the  departments  of  the  work  the  cost  of 
materials  has  been  discussed  and  the  relation 
which  one  expenditure  bears  to  the  other  house- 
hold expenses.  Precept  and  example  have  been 
given  to  show  the  wisdom  of  buying  only  what 
can  be  paid  for,  and  of  waiting  for  any  household 
article,  no  matter  how  much  desired  or  needed, 
until  something  really  worth  while  can  be  pur- 
chased ;  and  as  many  problems  as  possible  have 
been  given  to  bring  out  the  satisfaction  of  being 
able  to  practice  economy,  and  the  intelligent  joy 
66 


HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE 

of  being  inventive  and  resourceful.  The  girls  have 
written  notebooks  covering  all  the  work  in  the 
school.  The  notes  are  carefully  prepared  by  the 
teachers  and  copied  by  the  girls,  and  are  designed 
not  only  to  aid  in  the  work  of  the  school,  but  also 
with  reference  to  the  needs  of  some  of  the  homes 
into  which  they  go. 

The  words  so  often  quoted  in  the  New  Eng- 
land Home  Economic  Association,  that  "  the 
public  schools  recognize  all  religious  beliefs  but 
favor  none,"  have  had  their  significance  here, 
where  so  many  nationalities  and  creeds  are  gath- 
ered together.  A  large  proportion  of  the  children 
are  from  orthodox  Jewish  families,  and  while  it 
has  not  been  best  or  possible  to  have  a  Kosher 
kitchen,  care  has  been  exercised  in  the  selection 
of  foods,  that  the  preparation  of  nourishing  dishes 
might  be  learned  with  as  little  offense  as  possi- 
ble to  religious  principles.  Out  of  respect  to  the 
Jewish  Sabbath,  the  children  have  not  been  re- 
quired to  work  on  Friday  evenings,  but  the  even- 
ing has  been  made  a  social  one,  and  has  served 
as  an  opportunity  for  bringing  to  the  girls  a  class 
of  entertainments  both  helpful  and  interesting 
and  calculated  to  create  a  taste  for  something 
better  than  the  ordinary  moving-picture  show 
and  the  five  and  ten-cent  vaudeville.  These  Friday 

67 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

evening  entertainments  have  included  interpre- 
tative readings,  music,  stereopticon  lectures,  and 
talks  on  first  aid  to  the  injured,  conduct,  hygiene, 
economy,  and  other  practical  themes. 

Cooperation 

Active  affiliations  have  been  established  be- 
tween the  Home  School  and  the  Public  Library, 
the  Park  Museum,  the  District  Nurses'  Associa- 
tion, the  Young  Women's  Christian  Association, 
and  other  organizations  that  would  offer  help- 
ful and  uplifting  influences,  and  representatives 
from  these  organizations  have  visited  the  school 
and  given  informal  talks  to  the  girls.  The  Public 
Library  and  Traveling  Library  of  the  State  Board 
of  Education  have  supplied  about  two  hundred 
volumes  for  the  use  of  the  Home  School.  This 
well- chosen  library  contains  helpful  books  on 
domestic  problems,  history,  art,  fiction,  nature 
study,  and  also  many  books  in  Yiddish  that  can 
be  enjoyed  by  the  girls  with  their  parents  in  their 
own  homes. 

A  flower  and  vegetable  garden  has  been  planted 
under  the  direction  of  the  supervisor  of  school 
gardens,  and  this  is  cared  for  by  the  girls.  The 
object  is  not  merely  to  offer  healthful  outdoor 
recreation,  but  also  to  cultivate  a  wider  sense  of 
68 


HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE 

household  industry  and  economy  and  to  show 
what  may  be  done  with  a  small  plot  of  ground 
toward  furnishing  flowers  and  vegetables  for 
home  use.  The  quality  of  the  soil,  the  position 
with  reference  to  the  house,  the  exposure  to  the 
sun,  and  other  facts  have  been  studied  with  a 
view  to  planting  the  flowers  and  vegetables  best 
adapted  to  the  conditions. 

In  harmony  with  the  point  of  view  that  pro- 
vision should  be  made  for  the  largest  possible  use 
of  the  school  plant  for  both  day  and  evening  for 
the  entire  year,  free  consultation  for  babies  for 
every  Saturday  afternoon  has  been  instituted, 
and  other  efforts  put  on  foot  for  utilizing  the 
Willard  Avenue  property  in  other  ways  for  the 
benefit  of  the  neighborhood.  At  the  Saturday 
afternoon  clinics,  a  woman  physician  presides 
and  is  assisted  by  two  of  the  district  nurses.  The 
mothers  bring  their  babies  to  be  examined  and 
weighed,  and  they  learn  from  the  physician  and 
nurses  how  to  bathe,  dress,  and  feed  their  babies 
and  young  children  to  keep  them  in  the  best 
possible  physical  condition.  A  record  is  kept  of 
each  child,  that  its  improvement  may  be  noted 
from  week  to  week,  and  any  child  needing  medi- 
cal attention  during  the  week  receives  it  through 
the  district  nurses. 

69 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

As  to  the  vitality  of  the  work  at  the  Home 
School,  the  most  satisfying  assurances  have  come 
from  the  girls  themselves,  and  almost  every  day 
discloses  some  instance  where  things  learned  at 
school  have  been  put  into  practice  in  the  home. 
One  girl  told  with  evident  pride  that  she  was 
showing  friends  in  her  neighborhood  how  to 
change  the  sheets  of  a  sick-bed  without  remov- 
ing or  exposing  the  patient,  and  many  reported 
that  no  one  in  their  homes  knew  how  to  make  a 
bed  until  they  showed  how  the  sheets  could  be 
tucked  in  "so  they  can't  pull  out."  A  pupil, 
rather  more  ambitious  than  the  rest,  perhaps, 
collected  about  her  a  little  group  of  girls  not  at- 
tending the  Home  School,  and  taught  them  her 
newly  acquired  knowledge  of  making  beds  and 
of  changing  the  sheets  for  the  comfort  and  safety 
of  a  patient.  An  older  girl,  a  young  woman  of 
about  twenty-three,  explained  that  she  had  never 
been  able  to  help  her  mother  with  the  household 
duties  until  coming  to  the  Home  School.  Now 
she  takes  a  share  in  the  cleaning  and  cooking, 
and  specially  enjoys  spreading  the  table  and  wait- 
ing upon  the  family  at  meal-time.  One  of  the 
fathers,  having  received  an  injury,  was  brought 
home  unconscious,  and  the  daughter,  who  had 
been  in  the  classes  where  emergencies  are  dis- 
70 


HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE 

cussed,  was  the  only  one  of  the  household,  or 
among  the  neighbors  coming  in  to  help,  who 
knew  how  to  prepare  the  bed  to  receive  the  in- 
jured. The  teacher  giving  the  talks  on  the  care 
of  the  hair  has  been  called  upon  to  inspect  the 
success  of  her  directions  for  an  egg  shampoo, 
and  a  young  woman  employed  in  one  of  the  de- 
partment stores,  being  asked  by  her  companions 
what  she  was  doing  to  improve  her  complexion 
so  much,  said,  "  I  told  them  this  is  what  we  learn 
at  the  Home  School."  Some  instances  of  co- 
operation with  the  homes  are  not  without  an 
element  of  humor.  Little  Jennie  reported  that 
her  father  had  burned  the  library  book  she  had 
taken  from  the  school,  and  when  the  teacher  went 
to  investigate,  the  father  blandly  said,  "  Yes,  this 
place 's  pretty  small  and  they  [probably  referring 
to  mother  and  daughter]  brings  in  so  much  stuff 
I  has  to  burn  out  the  rubbish  every  little  while." 
He  was  surprised  to  find  that  the  book  was  worth 
fifty  cents,  but  was  quite  willing  to  pay  for  it. 
From  the  mothers  has  come  spontaneous  testi- 
mony that  their  girls  are  a  greater  help  in  all 
housewifely  duties  after  receiving  the  training  at 
the  Home  School,  and  one  mother  confessed  that 
her  own  work  had  been  improved  by  watching 
the  way  in  which  her  little  daughter  did  things. 


I 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

No  lessons  have  been  more  popular  than  those 
on  hygiene,  and  the  girls  have  offered  to  remain 
after  school  hours  if  they  might  have  extra  work 
along  this  line.  Many  of  the  requests  sent  in 
for  books  for  the  library  have  been  requests  for 
books  on  hygiene,  and  much  interest  has  been 
shown  in  the  discussions  on  ventilation,  pure 
water,  sanitary  drinking-cups  and  towels,  the 
transmission  of  disease  by  contact,  malaria  and 
the  mosquito,  and  other  matters  pertaining  to 
public  health.  This  is  a  particularly  hopeful  sign, 
for  when  the  factory  girl  herself  is  intelligent 
enough  to  demand  sanitary  conditions  in  which 
to  work,  and  sanitary  tenements  in  which  to  live, 
she  will  get  them. 


VIII 

HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES  USED  AT  THE 
PROVIDENCE  HOME  SCHOOL 

IN  directing  the  work  at  a  home  school  there  is 
a  double  purpose  to  be  considered,  that  of  ac- 
complishing the  necessary  duties  of  the  school, 
and  that  of  furnishing  simple  suggestions  that 
can  be  put  into  practice  in  the  homes  of  the 
children.  The  home  school  is  a  typical  home, 
standing  for  certain  principles  of  simplicity, 
economy,  beauty,  and  order,  and  the  activities 
must  be  organized  in  such  a  way  as  to  demon- 
strate the  value  of  these  ideals.  The  type,  as 
to  location,  furnishing,  service,  meals,  etc.,  must 
be  within  the  reach  of  the  majority  who  attend. 
The  model  may  be  vastly  more  esthetic  than 
any  home  in  the  neighborhood,  and  may  yet  be 
within  the  reach  of  the  neighborhood  pocket- 
book.  It  has  often  been  proved  in  settlement 
work  that  certain  evidences  in  the  model  home 
that  seem  to  reflect  an  atmosphere  of  extrava- 
gance and  luxury  are  merely  the  result  of  clean- 
liness and  thrift  and  taste. 

73 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

One  of  the  greatest  difficulties  is  that  of 
adapting  the  instruction  to  meet  all  sorts  of 
home  conditions.  Some  children  must  be  taught 
how  to  keep  the  table-linen  clean  and  neat,  and 
others  must  be  shown  how  to  make  a  table  at- 
tractive and  orderly  with  paper  napkins;  for 
some  the  serving  of  a  meal  is  the  simplest  sort 
of  an  operation,  while  for  others,  particularly 
those  who  contemplate  domestic  service,  the 
thorough  training  for  an  expert  waitress  is  neces- 
sary. The  informal  atmosphere  of  the  home 
school,  the  helpful  and  sympathetic  relations 
between  teachers  and  pupils,  and  the  social  de- 
mocracy of  the  girls,  make  it  possible,  however, 
to  carry  out  individual  instruction  as  one  cannot 
in  other  schools. 

Often  even  the  older  girls  do  not  know  the  uses 
of  the  various  household  articles,  and  must  be 
told  the  names  of  utensils  familiar  to  most  house- 
keepers. And  the  directions  for  all  the  work 
must  be  plain  and  simple,  and  even  the  most 
familiar  things  will  require  repeated  explanation 
and  demonstration.  Writing  down  the  household 
operations  helps  to  fix  them  in  the  minds  of  the 
girls,  and  there  is  educational  value  in  learning 
how  to  proceed  on  any  problem  from  notes. 

The  housekeeping  notes  used  at  the  Provi- 

74 


HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES 

dence  Home  School  were  written  to  meet  the 
needs  of  a  particular  school  and  a  particular  lo- 
cality, and  might  not  prove  adequate  in  another 
locality  unless  revised  somewhat.  They  are  offered 
merely  as  suggestive  material. 

How  to  clean  house 

Motto  for  good  housekeeping :  —  Economy,  clean- 
liness, and  quickness. 

Dust.  Dust  often  contains  germs  of  sickness ;  and 
so  do  not  let  it  collect  anywhere  in  the  house. 

Sweep  the  corners  thoroughly,  and  sweep  under 
the  beds  and  other  furniture. 

Never  put  dust  in  the  coal-hod  or  kindling-box  or 
in  any  such  place,  but  empty  the  dustpans  and  car- 
pet-sweepers on  a  newspaper  and  burn  the  dust  in 
the  paper. 

Often  shake  the  dust-cloth  out  of  the  window  or 
door,  and  see  that  the  dust-cloths  are  kept  clean. 

Sweeping.  When  cleaning  a  room,  have  the  win- 
dows open  to  let  out  the  dust  and  freshen  the  air. 
When  possible,  have  a  vacuum  cleaner.  Use  both 
sides  of  the  broom  for  sweeping,  using  the  narrow 
side  to  take  the  dust  from  the  cracks,  and  the  broad 
side  for  the  floor,  and  sweep  with  short  strokes,  being 
careful  not  to  scatter  the  dust  up  and  about  the  room. 

Always  hang  up  a  broom  when  not  in  use,  and 
wash  brooms  occasionally  in  warm  soapsuds  or  in 
warm  water  and  ammonia. 

75 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

Always  sweep  a  floor  thoroughly  before  scrubbing 
it  or  before  oiling  it.  Begin  at  the  corners  of  the 
room  and  sweep  toward  the  center,  collecting  the 
dust  in  little  piles  instead  of  carrying  it  from  one 
end  of  a  room  to  another. 

Do  not  sweep  the  dust  from  one  room  to  another, 
but  sweep  each  room  separately. 

Remove  small  rugs  before  sweeping,  and  large 
ones  that  cannot  be  removed,  fold  back  to  the  center 
of  the  room,  to  leave  as  much  of  the  floor  exposed 
as  possible.  After  sweeping  a  floor,  go  over  it  with 
a  cloth  or  dust-mop  moistened  with  kerosene  or 
some  good  floor  oil. 

Rugs.  Shake  the  small  rugs  out  of  doors.  When 
sweeping  or  beating  rugs,  put  them  on  the  ground ; 
do  not  hang  them  over  a  clothesline,  as  the  line  will 
in  time  cut  even  the  strongest  rug.  Beat  both  sides 
thoroughly,  then  sweep  with  a  broom. 

Rugs  may  be  cleaned  with  carpet-soap,  and  ought 
often  to  be  freshened  by  wiping  with  warm  water  and 
ammonia.  Use  a  tablespoonful  of  ammonia  to  a  pail 
three  quarters  full  of  water. 

Floors.  Hardwood  floors  are  the  best  and  may  be 
finished  in  dark  or  light  shades  to  suit  the  taste  of 
the  household. 

Do  not  scrub  hardwood  floors,  but  clean  with  a 
little  kerosene  or  floor  oil.  A  wax  finish  may  also  be 
used. 

When  it  is  necessary  to  clean  with  water,  use  half  a 
pail  of  warm  water  and  two  tablespoonfuls  of  kerosene. 


HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES 

Softwood  floors  may  be  painted  or  stained.  A  stain 
is  the  better  finish  when  the  floors  are  not  too  much 
damaged  or  discolored. 

Floor  varnish  may  be  used  over  a  stain.  When 
possible  have  floors  stained  or  painted,  and  use  rugs 
that  may  easily  be  cleaned  instead  of  a  carpet  fast- 
ened to  the  floor.  It  is  cleaner,  more  healthful,  and 
more  attractive  to  furnish  with  rugs. 

Softwood  floors  may  be  cleaned  with  lukewarm 
water  and  kerosene  or  with  a  cloth  or  mop  dampened 
with  floor  oil. 

Clean  off  all  grease-spots  from  floors  with  soap. 

Clean  all  dust-mops,  brushes,  etc.,  with  ammonia 
and  warm  water. 

How  to  serve  meals 

The  talk.  The  end  of  the  table  farthest  from  the 
living-room  is  called  the  head  of  the  table,  and  the 
opposite  end  is  called  the  foot. 

When  ready  to  serve  a  meal,  have  the  dining-room 
in  perfect  order  and  the  temperature  about  70  de- 
grees. 

The  linen.  The  table-linen  must  be  clean  and  free 
from  wrinkles.  Always  fold  the  tablecloth  carefully 
after  a  meal,  and  try  in  every  way  to  keep  the  table- 
linen  neat  and  clean,  as  a  little  care  will  save  a  house- 
keeper time  and  trouble  in  washing  and  ironing. 

Try  to  make  everything  about  the  table  as  attrac- 
tive as  possible.  Place  flowers  or  a  small  plant  or  a 
dish  of  fruit  in  the  center.  A  simple,  dainty  center- 

77 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

piece  of  embroidery,  lace,  or  drawn-work  adds  to  the 
appearance  of  the  table. 

In  spreading  the  table  for  a  meal,  do  not  crowd  it 
with  unnecessary  articles. 

"  Dinner  is  served  "  is  the  proper  way  to  announce 
that  the  dinner  is  ready.  "  Breakfast  is  served,"  and 
"Luncheon  is  served,"  etc.,  for  other  meals. 

The  serving-table.  All  housekeepers  doing  their  own 
cooking  and  serving  will  find  a  little  serving-table  in 
the  dining-room  very  helpful.  Many  things  may  be 
put  on  the  serving-table  and  so  keep  the  dining-table 
from  being  too  crowded. 

The  water-pitcher,  the  salad,  and  dessert,  extra 
plates  and  silver  may  all  be  put  on  the  serving-table, 
and  thus  save  many  trips  to  the  kitchen. 

Spreading  the  table.  Allow  nine  or  ten  inches  for 
each  plate  at  the  table,  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
inches,  or  more,  between  each  place,  when  possible. 

Put  knives  at  the  right  with  cutting  side  toward 
the  plate. 

Put  forks  at  the  left  with  the  tines  up. 

Put  the  spoons  at  the  right  of  the  knife,  with  the 
bowls  up. 

Put  the  knives,  forks,  spoons,  and  plates  about  half 
an  inch  from  the  edge  of  the  table. 

At  the  point  of  the  knife,  put  the  water  glass. 

At  the  point  of  the  fork,  put  the  butter  plate. 

At  the  left  of  the  fork,  put  the  napkin.  The  napkin 
may  be  put  between  the  fork  and  knife  if  there  is  no 
plate  there. 

78 


HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES 

Put  the  salt  and  pepper  boxes  between  the  places  set. 

Put  the  chairs  before  each  place  with  the  backs 
about  three  or  four  inches  from  the  edge  of  the  table. 

Serving.  Pass  all  dishes  from  which  food  is  taken, 
at  the  left  side. 

Put  the  filled  plates  down  from  the  right. 

Remove  all  dishes  from  the  right. 

After  passing  salt  and  pepper,  or  pickles,  or  sugar, 
or  any  article  on  the  table,  put  the  article  back  in  the 
place  from  which  it  was  taken,  to  keep  the  table  look- 
ing neat  and  orderly. 

Never  reach  across  a  person  at  the  table  when 
serving,  and  never  reach  from  one  side  of  the  table 
to  another  to  get  a  dish. 

Never  pile  dishes  on  the  serving-tray. 

Stand  on  the  left  side  when  taking  dishes  from  the 
person  who  is  carving,  or  serving  the  dessert,  etc. 

In  waiting  upon  a  family,  serve  the  lady  who  pre- 
sides over  the  household  first. 

In  serving  where  there  are  guests,  serve  the  lady 
who  is  at  the  right  of  the  host,  first. 

About  two  minutes  before  the  family  are  called  to 
a  meal,  fill  the  glasses  with  water  and  put  on  the  but- 
ter and  bread. 

Clearing  the  table.  After  the  family  have  left  the 
dining-room,  use  a  large  clearing-tray  to  take  the 
dishes  from  the  table. 

First  remove  all  dishes  containing  food ;  second, 
remove  all  the  soiled  dishes ;  third,  remove  all  the 
clean  dishes  and  silver. 

79 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

Scrape  the  crumbs  when  all  the  dishes  have  been 
removed.  The  crumbs  may  also  be  removed  by  using 
a  plate  and  napkin. 

Air  the  dining-room  after  each  meal,  and  use  the 
carpet-sweeper  to  take  the  crumbs  from  the  rug. 

Do  not  leave  the  dining-room  table  spread  with  a 
cloth  or  dishes  for  the  next  meal  unless  the  room  may 
be  closed  and  shut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  house. 
Dust  and  germs  collect  on  articles  exposed  in  a  room 
where  people  are  sitting  and  passing,  and  the  habit 
of  leaving  a  table  spread  is  not  a  sanitary  one. 

Have  a  neat  table-cover  of  some  colored  material 
or  of  linen  or  embroidery  for  the  dining-room  table 
when  not  in  use. 

A  plant  or  flowers  or  fruit  may  decorate  it  during 
the  day. 

Motto.  Learn  to  do  everything  in  your  home  so 
well  that  you  will  not  be  dependent  upon  servants. 

Laundry  work 

Washing.  Always  sort  the  clothes  before  washing, 
putting  together:  (i)  The  table-linen.  (2)  The 
bed-linen,  towels,  body  clothes,  and  handkerchiefs. 
(3)  The  flannels.  (4)  The  colored  clothes  and 
stockings. 

When  possible,  soak  the  clothes  overnight  or  for 
several  hours  to  loosen  the  dirt.  Rub  soap  on  the 
most  soiled  parts,  roll  up  each  article,  put  in  a  laun- 
dry tub,  and  cover  with  warm  water. 

When  ready  to  wash,  rub  the  clothes  on  the  wash- 
So 


HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES 

board,  using  warm  water,  and  get  fresh  water  when 
necessary,  for  one  cannot  wash  clothes  clean  in  dirty 
water.  After  rubbing,  put  the  clothes  into  the 
boiler. 

Boiling.  Clothes  must  be  perfectly  clean  before 
boiling.  It  is  better  to  put  them  into  cold  water  and 
let  it  come  to  a  boil.  For  ordinary  clothes,  boil  from 
ten  to  fifteen  minutes.  Boiling  helps  to  whiten  the 
clothes  and  also  destroys  germs.  In  case  of  sickness, 
boil  the  clothes  about  half  an  hour. 

Wash  garments  wrong  side  out,  and  hang  them 
out  to  dry  in  this  way,  and  when  wringing  be  careful 
to  fold  in  all  the  buttons  and  hooks  and  eyes. 

Boil  dust-cloths  and  floor-cloths,  etc.,  •  after  the 
other  things  are  finished. 

Bluing.  After  boiling,  rinse  in  two  or  three  waters, 
using  warm  water.  Wring  the  clothes,  and  then  put 
them  in  the  bluing-water.  Have  the  bluing-water 
cold,  and  do  not  let  the  clothes  stand  in  it  or  they 
will  become  streaked. 

Drying.  Always  dry  the  clothes  out  of  doors  when 
possible  and  have  the  clothesline  clean. 

Wring  from  the  bluing-water  and  then  hang  out  to 
dry,  putting  pieces  of  a  kind  together. 

Fold  tablecloths  once  lengthwise,  and  smooth  out 
wrinkles  as  much  as  possible,  and  dry  in  this  way. 

Hang  out  sheets  in  the  same  way. 

Many  garments  can  be  sun-dried  and  need  not  be 
ironed  if  hung  out  to  dry  very  carefully,  and  carefully 
smoothed  and  folded  by  hand.  Knit  underwear  may 

81 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

always  be  finished  in  this  way,  and  sheets,  towels, 
and  even  pillowcases  in  emergencies. 

Bleaching.  Bleach  clothes  by  sunshine  and  fresh 
air  and  by  hanging  on  the  line  without  wringing. 
There  are  chemicals  which  whiten  clothes,  but  sun- 
shine is  the  best  bleacher. 

Flannels.  Woolen  materials  will  easily  shrink  if 
not  carefully  handled. 

Make  a  suds  with  Ivory  soap  or  some  good  wool 
soap  and  warm  water,  and  wash  the  garments  in 
this,  pressing  and  squeezing  the  material  with  the 
hands,  but  not  rubbing  on  the  washboard.  If  the 
garments  are  much  soiled,  they  may  be  soaked  for 
about  ten  minutes  in  warm  water  and  ammonia,  a 
teaspoonful  of  ammonia  to  a  gallon  of  water.  Rinse 
several  times  in  warm  water,  wringing  with  the 
wringer,  but  never  pulling  or  twisting  with  the  hands. 
Hang  in  a  warm  place  to  dry,  and  stretch  the  gar- 
ment into  shape  while  drying.  Do  not  iron  woolen 
underwear,  but  flannel  shirts  and  shirt-waists  may  be 
pressed  with  a  moderately  warm  iron. 

Stockings.  Wash  stockings  in  clean  soapsuds.  If 
washed  in  water  that  has  been  used  for  white  clothes, 
white  particles  will  adhere  to  them. 

Starching.  Either  cooked  or  uncooked  starch  may 
be  used  (also  called  hot  starch  and  cold  starch),  but 
the  cooked  starch  is  more  satisfactory,  for  it  is  less 
liable  to  stick  to  the  iron. 

The  amount  of  starch  used  varies  with  the  num- 
ber of  articles  to  be  starched  and  the  weight  of  the 

82 


HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES 

materials.  Heavy  materials  require  thicker  starch 
than  light  materials. 

The  proportions  for  boiled  starch  are  about  one 
measurement  of  starch  to  eight  of  water  for  thick 
starch,  and  twice  that  amount  of  water  for  thin 
starch.  The  amount  of  starch  needed  varies  also 
with  the  condition  of  the  weather,  as  clothes  stiffen 
more  readily  on  a  sunny,  quiet  day  than  on  a  windy, 
damp  day. 

Always  mix  starch  with  a  small  quantity  of  cold 
water,  stirring  until  thoroughly  dissolved.  Then  add 
a  little  oil,  wax,  paraffine,  or  borax,  to  keep  the 
irons  from  sticking.  Next  add  the  required  amount 
of  boiling  water,  stirring  constantly  to  keep  lumps 
from  forming,  and  finish  by  boiling  for  a  few  mo- 
ments on  the  stove.  Add  a  drop  or  two  of  bluing, 
and  if  the  starch  seems  too  thick  for  some  materials, 
thin  with  cold  water. 

Sprinkling.  The  sprinkling  or  dampening  should 
be  done  some  time  before  the  clothes  are  to  be 
ironed,  to  let  the  moisture  soak  evenly  through  the 
materials. 

Have  the  table  perfectly  clean  on  which  the  clothes 
are  dampened. 

A  patent  sprinkler  may  be  used,  or  a  whisk-broom, 
or  the  hand  if  the  drops  can  be  made  small  enough. 

Dampen  each  piece  separately,  and  roll  up  all 
large  pieces  separately,  folding  the  sides  and  ends 
into  the  middle. 

Table-linen  should  be  very  damp. 

83 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

Sprinkle  clothes  in  cold  water,  as  they  are  more 
likely  to  mildew  when  hot  water  is  used. 

Ironing.  Cover  the  ironing-board  with  an  old 
blanket  or  some  other  heavy  material,  and  over  this 
tack  tightly  and  securely  a  clean  ironing-sheet.  It  is 
better  to  use  new  material  for  the  ironing-sheet^  and 
it  must  be  kept  clean  by  frequent  washing. 

Have  several  folds  of  clean  paper  under  the  iron 
rest,  and  keep  on  hand  a  piece  of  beeswax  for  clean- 
ing the  irons,  and  a  clean  cloth  on  which  to  test  the 
heat  of  the  irons  and  on  which  to  wipe  them. 

Use  a  piece  of  cloth  to  wash  off  all  spots  from  the 
clothes,  and  to  moisten  them  if  they  dry  too  fast. 

When  ironing  large  pieces,  keep  the  clothes-basket 
under  the  ironing-board  to  protect  the  clothes  from 
the  floor,  or  spread  papers  under  the  ironing-board. 

Use  heavy  irons  for  heavy  materials,  and  light 
irons  for  light  materials,  and  iron  all  articles  until 
thoroughly  dry. 

As  a  rule,  iron  trimming  and  ruffles  first,  and  the 
straight  parts  last,  and  stretch  all  parts  of  a  garment 
into  shape. 

Iron  embroidery  on  the  wrong  side  to  bring  out 
the  pattern,  and  gently  stretch  laces  into  shape. 

Use  as  hot  an  iron  as  is  possible  without  scorching 
the  clothes. 

Iron  napkins  and  hand-towels  on  both  sides. 

When  ironing  tablecloths,  make  a  lengthwise  fold 
through  the  center  and  iron  the  cloth  on  both  sides. 
Make  a  second  lengthwise  fold  and  press  carefully. 


HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES 

Do  not  press  the  cross-folds,  but  make  them  lightly 
with  the  hand. 

Tablecloths  and  napkins  that  are  old  or  made 
from  linen  that  is  very  light  in  weight  will  look  much 
better  if  starched  a  little.  Use  one  cupful  of  thin 
starch  to  half  a  pail  of  bluing-water. 

Iron  over  several  thicknesses  of  cloth  to  bring  out 
the  pattern  in  embroidery,  etc. 

How  to  remove  stains 

Tea,  coffee,  cocoa,  and  most  fruit  stains  can  be 
removed  by  pouring  boiling  water  through  the  discol- 
ored part.  Stretch  the  stained  part  over  a  wash-basin 
or  bowl,  and  pour  on  boiling  water.  Some  fruit  stains 
will  come  out  if  boiled  in  water  and  a  little  baking- 
soda. 

For  grease,  oil,  etc.,  wash  first  in  cold  water  and 
soap,  and  then  rub  with  warm  water  and  soap.  Use 
gasolene  for  fabrics  that  cannot  be  put  in  water.  On 
some  materials  kerosene  may  be  used  to  cut  the 
grease,  after  which  sprinkle  on  powdered  chalk  or 
magnesia.  Powdered  chalk  or  magnesia  used  freely 
will  usually  absorb  grease  from  any  material. 

For  paint,  tar,  etc.,  use  turpentine,  alcohol,  wood 
alcohol,  or  gasolene. 

Sugar  and  gum  can  be  dissolved  by  alcohol. 

For  ink  use  diluted  oxalic  acid  or  wash  several 
times  in  milk. 

For  iron  rust  use  lemon  juice  and  salt,  and  if 
possible  expose  to  the  sunlight. 

85 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

Blood-stains  should  be  washed  first  in  cold  or 
slightly  warm  water,  being  allowed  to  soak ;  then  rub 
out  with  warm  water  and  soap. 

Use  alcohol,  or  warm  water  and  a  little  sal-soda, 
to  take  out  grass  stains. 

Remove  perspiration  by  washing  in  strong  soap- 
suds and  bleaching  in  the  sun  before  rinsing.  If  the 
stains  are  specially  dark,  use  diluted  muriatic  acid. 

Use  soap  and  warm  water  to  clean  white  veils, 
gauze,  silk  crepe,  etc.  After  washing,  bleach  with 
oxalic  acid,  using  about  one  quarter  of  an  ounce  to 
two  gallons  of  water.  One  part  peroxide  of  hydro- 
gen to  ten  of  water  is  a  good  solution  for  bleaching. 
Leave  the  material  in  this  solution  overnight. 

Ammonia  is  a  valuable  cleansing  agent,  and  chlo- 
roform may  be  used  on  delicate  colored  materials 
that  cannot  be  washed. 

After  using  gasolene,  always  sift  on  powdered 
chalk  or  magnesia  to  absorb  the  moisture  and 
grease. 

Rub  always  toward  the  center  of  a  stain,  and  have 
several  folds  of  clean  cloth  under  the  spot. 

A  good  selection  of  articles  for  the  home  laundry 

Boiler. 

Wringer. 

Washboard. 

Clothes-basket. 

Small  table. 

Ironing-board. 

86 


HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES 

Sleeve-board. 
Clothes-rack. 
Dipper. 
Tea-kettle. 

Pan  for  making  starch. 
Large  spoon  for  starch. 

Three  or  four  irons  (the  old-fashioned  kind  with 
handles  attached  are  best). 

Sprinkler  of  some  sort  to  dampen  the  clothes. 

Pail. 

Knife  for  shaving  soap  and  cleaning  irons. 

A  clean  clothesline. 

Clothespins. 

A  clothes-stick. 

When  storing  irons,  rub  with  vaseline  and  wrap  in 
paper. 

Never  put  irons  soiled  with  starch  back  on  the 
stove  without  cleaning  thoroughly.  To  clean  them, 
rub  on  a  paper  on  which  salt  has  been  sprinkled,  or 
scrape  clean  with  a  knife.  It  is  sometimes  necessary 
to  wash  irons  with  soap  and  water. 

Do  not  blacken  a  laundry  stove;  clean  it  with  a 
cloth,  and  wash  it  off  occasionally  with  warm  soap- 
suds. 

The  boiler,  washboard,  wringer,  and  all  articles  in 
the  laundry  must  be  wiped  perfectly  dry  after  using. 

Loosen  the  screws  of  the  wringer  after  using,  to 
preserve  the  rollers. 


IX 

SOME  DISTINCTIVE  METHODS  OF  THE  HOME 
SCHOOL 

WITH  all  the  varied  interests  pursued,  no  effort 
should  be  made  to  compete  in  any  way  with  the 
technical  and  trade  schools  or  any  institutions 
where  industrial  work  can  be  better  done,  but 
rather  to  preserve  in  every  way  the  simple,  home- 
like atmosphere  and  character  of  the  work,  and 
to  cultivate  in  the  girls  a  taste  for  home  surround- 
ings and  household  duties.  A  love  of  household 
occupation  must  be  developed  to  crowd  out  a 
love  of  ease,  and  joy  must  come  not  from  idle- 
ness but  from  competence. 

Cleanliness  and  taste 

Every  effort  must  be  made  to  cultivate  the 
element  of  taste,  —  taste  in  dress  and  personal 
adornment  and  in  the  selection  of  everything 
that  enters  into  the  making  of  a  home.  Begin- 
ning with  cleanliness  as  the  basis  of  all  beauty, 
a  simple  consideration  of  color  and  form  and 
design  and  use  may  follow,  reaching  out  in  this 
88 


SOME  DISTINCTIVE  METHODS 

way  into  all  the  aspects  of  life  both  material  and 
spiritual.  To  give  through  the  home  an  ideal 
of  good  taste  that  may  be  lived  into  every  phase 
of  existence  should  be  the  motive  of  the  home 
school. 

Home  cooperation 

In  every  way  possible  direct  cooperation  with 
the  homes  of  the  children  should  be  maintained 
to  establish  that  human  relationship  between 
teachers  and  pupils  and  parents  which  it  is  al- 
most impossible  to  establish  in  the  more  formal 
conditions  existing  in  most  of  the  public  schools. 
How  to  take  care  of  younger  brothers  and  sis- 
ters, and  problems  of  diet,  sleeping  arrangements, 
dress,  and  scores  of  domestic  perplexities  in  the 
homes  of  the  children  may  be  discussed  and  most 
satisfactorily  handled  through  the  collaboration 
of  sympathetic  teachers.  And  the  notebooks 
written  by  the  girls  covering  all  the  work  in  the 
school  must  be  so  simple,  direct,  and  comprehen- 
sive as  to  furnish  helpful  and  practical  informa- 
tion for  the  homes  into  which  they  go. 

Freedom  and  individuality 
While  the  courses  of  study  in  the  various  de- 
partments of  housecraft  must  be  educational  and 
progressive,  yet  the  best  results  have  been  ob- 

89 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

tained  by  retaining  a  certain  amount  of  elasticity 
to  preserve  that  freedom  and  individuality  which 
constitute  one  of  the  greatest  charms  of  any 
home.  In  a  general  way,  all  the  activities  should 
be  planned  with  reference  to  progressive  diffi- 
culty, to  make  them  more  dynamic  and  to  keep 
them  from  degenerating  into  mere  observation 
work  and  useful  information.  Scientific  study  of 
some  form  carried  along  with  the  housecraft  will 
help  to  point  a  reason  and  provide  a  motive  for 
the  work.  The  germ  theory,  the  theory  of  cleans- 
ing as  applied  to  laundry  work,  chemical  actions 
and  changes  in  the  preparation  of  foods,  physio- 
logical and  nutritive  values,  the  scientific  study 
of  sinks,  bathrooms,  etc.,  hygienic  dress,  and 
many  other  scientific  aspects  of  the  problems  of 
home-making,  should  be  presented  and  discussed 
clearly  and  simply.  Nothing  should  be  done  by 
mere  rule  of  thumb. 

The  words  of  Dr.  Henry  Suzzallo,  of  Columbia 
University,  that  "  great  economic  gain  does  not 
come  merely  from  turning  out  more  heels  at  a 
machine,  but  also  from  gaining  a  social  point  of 
view  which  will  enable  one  to  prevent  a  strike," 
sound  the  new  individualism  which  is  at  the  root 
of  modern  vocational  education.  We  can  no  longer 
attempt  to  reach  adequately  a  body  of  workers 
90 


SOME  DISTINCTIVE  METHODS 

through  mass  methods.  An  atmosphere  of  wider 
sympathy  has  come  which  takes  into  account  the 
capacity  and  the  soul  back  of  the  work.  For 
many  years  group  work  has  been  resorted  to  as 
a  means  of  establishing  temporary  order  and  dis- 
cipline, but  now  a  broader  way  has  opened  up  for 
developing  an  independent  and  self -reliant  human 
being. 

Initiative  and  invention 
Those  working  with  girls  in  home-making 
schools  see  the  exceptional  opportunities  for  de- 
veloping initiative,  invention,  and  individuality. 
The  wise  teacher  will  realize  that  her  highest 
function  is  to  become  merely  the  ideal  environ- 
ment and  atmosphere,  and  she  will  leave  the  girls 
alone  with  their  problems,  allowing  them  the 
clarifying  right  of  making  mistakes,  and  the  joy 
and  growth  that  comes  with  discovery  and  inven- 
tion. To  give  girls  such  a  problem  as  painting 
and  papering  a  room  is  to  give  them  the  opportu- 
nity of  experimenting  with  large  things  in  a  vital 
way,  and  is  sure  to  set  in  motion  enthusiasm  and 
inner  self-activity. 

Breadth 

Instruction  in  household  arts  is  not  only  a  way 
to  efficiency,  but  it  is  a  way  to  happiness  and 

91 


THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

self-expression  and  greater  civic  intelligence. 
And  the  problem  is  one  that  cannot  be  handled 
through  traditional  method.  There  is  danger  that 
such  schools  will  be  established  before  teachers 
and  directors  for  the  work  can  be  found  who  by 
scholarship  and  experience  are  qualified  to  handle 
so  broad  a  problem.  Indeed,  in  many  respects 
the  demands  for  a  striking  and  forceful  person- 
ality are  more  exacting  than  in  other  lines  of 
public  school  work.  In  addition  to  tact  in  han- 
dling children  and  young  women,  and  an  appreci- 
ation of  the  educational  values  and  possibilities 
of  her  work,  the  woman  who  goes  into  the  organ- 
ized work  of  home-making  must  be  able  to  see 
life  in  clear  and  definite  outlines,  and  must  have 
the  education,  refinement,  culture,  and  taste  nec- 
essary to  cover  every  phase  of  home  life  and  to 
cover  it  adequately  for  the  needs  of  the  vastly 
different  social  groups  and  nationalities  that  will 
be  represented  by  her  pupils.  She  must  have  had 
the  experience  necessary  to  give  her  a  knowledge 
of  people,  and  she  must  know  thoroughly  and 
sympathetically  the  community  life  of  her  neigh- 
borhood. It  is  not  enough  to  understand  cooking, 
sewing,  laundry  work,  and  all  the  industries  of  the 
home,  but  she  must  also  have  the  artistic  know- 
ledge and  the  taste  to  select  suitable  pictures, 
92 


SOME  DISTINCTIVE  METHQDSf    , 

furniture  of  good  design,  artistic  rugs,  curt  kills, 
and  other  articles  of  home  decoration.  She  must 
know  the  simple,  refined,  and  effective  ways  of 
serving  meals  and  offering  hospitality,  and  her 
ideas  must  be  practical  enough  to  be  used  by  the 
children  in  their  homes.  And  she  must  know  the 
ennobling  influences  of  nature,  and  art,  and  music, 
and  literature,  and  through  them  be  able  to  lead 
others  into  new  realms  of  poetry,  romance,  and 
wisdom. 


3  :/:-.:*:»:: 

••'-..  •••    :  -..:;«W 


CONCLUSION 

The  home  school  and  the  essentials  of  a 
progressive  life 

As  the  most  thoughtful  educators  for  some  time 
past  have  been  working  on  their  problems  with 
a  view  to  meeting  more  practically  the  demands 
of  the  community,  the  home  school  training  and 
its  means  of  offering  the  fundamentals  of  an  edu- 
cation seem  to  point  to  one  solution  of  this  ab- 
sorbing and  perplexing  question.  And  even  more 
important  is  the  social  and  ethical  side  when  it  is 
realized  that  the  home  school  is  an  opportunity 
for  putting  inspiration  into  the  drudgery  of  daily 
necessity,  and  for  capturing  the  soul  that  will  one 
day  express  itself  in  the  relations  of  wife  and 
mother.  What  sometimes  appears  to  be  a  distaste 
for  the  duties  of  motherhood  grows  largely  out 
of  the  fact  that  the  interests  of  the  girl  of  to-day 
have  been  transferred  from  the  home  to  other 
centers  of  activity.  Her  wage-earning  pursuits 
are  not  carried  on  in  her  home,  neither  do  her 
pleasures  center  there.  The  office,  the  shop,  the 

94 


CONCLUSION 

club,  the  dancing-hall,  and  a  score  of  other  asso- 
ciations have  estranged  her  sympathies  and  taste 
from  the  home  environment.  Woman  is  instinc- 
tively creative,  and  this  instinct  expresses  itself, 
biologically,  in  the  function  of  motherhood.  The 
natural  and  normal  outlet  for  creative  self-expres- 
sion is  the  bearing  and  rearing  of  children  and 
the  building-up  of  the  home  and  the  home  life. 
So  to  every  girl,  in  whatever  walk  of  life,  should 
be  given  the  training  and  education  which  will 
awaken  her  enthusiasm  and  enchain  her  interest 
in  the  vocation  of  home-making.  And  the  pre- 
cepts taught,  and  the  ideals  held  out  to  her  as  to 
the  scope  of  the  home,  must  be  alluring,  ever- 
growing ones,  including  all  the  essentials  of  a  pro- 
gressive life.  The  home  must  grow  to  house  the 
enlarging  activities  and  responsibilities  of  woman, 
that  all  her  most  vital  interests  may  focus  within 
the  home,  and  give  to  her  a  growing  ideal  of  the 
responsibility,  the  dignity,  and  the  beauty  of  life 
that  becomes  the  "vision  "  for  all  humanity;  for 
"  where  there  is  no  vision,  the  people  perish." 


OUTLINE 

I.  SOME  ASPECTS  OF  MODERN  EDUCATION 

1.  A  new  demand  in  education I 

2.  Home- making  a  necessary  supplement  to  educa- 

tion for  girls  in  all  social  groups 3 

3.  Home-making  training  for  boys 5 

II.  THE  NECESSITY  FOR   TWO  DIFFERENT 

TYPES  OF  TRAINING -FOR  INDUSTRY 
AND  FOR  THE  HOME 

1.  Concerning  industry 7 

2.  Concerning  the  home 9 

III.  THE  HOME  AS  AN  INSTITUTIONAL  UNIT 

AND  THE  HOME  SCHOOL  AN  EXPRES- 
SION OF  IT 

1.  The  home  a  fundamental  unit 13 

2.  The  function  of  the  home  school 15 

IV.  THE  HOME  AS  AN  ECONOMIC  INSTITU- 

TION, AND  THE  RELATION  OF  TRADE 
AND  HOUSEHOLD  EDUCATION 

1.  The  modern  home,  and  the  woman  of  to-day  .     .  18 

2.  The  home  a  producing  center 20 

3.  Neighborhood  cooperation 24 

4.  The  home  school  as  an  industrial  center     ...  26 

V.  SPECIAL  THINGS  TO  BE  ACCOMPLISHED 

THROUGH  THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

1.  "The  children  of  to-day  are  the  citizens  of  to- 

morrow"      30 

2.  The  play  spirit 34 

3.  Domestic  service 37 

97 


OUTLINE 

VI.  A  GENERAL  OUTLINE  FOR  THE  WORK 

IN  THE  HOME  SCHOOL 

1.  Grammar  and  high  school  credit  for  home  school 

work 41 

2.  Outline  for  the  work  in  the  home  school     ...  43 

3.  Hygiene 46 

4.  Work  in  the  South  and  elsewhere 50 

5.  Economy  and  food  values 52 

6.  School  program 55 

VII.  THE  HOME  SCHOOL  OF  PROVIDENCE, 

RHODE  ISLAND 

1.  Location 58 

2.  Furnishing  the  home 60 

3.  Operating  day 62 

4.  Home  economics  and  ideals 66 

5.  Cooperation 68 

VIII.  HOUSEKEEPING  NOTES  USED  AT  THE 

PROVIDENCE  HOME  SCHOOL 

1.  How  to  clean  house 75 

2.  How  to  serve  meals 77 

3.  Laundry  work 80 

4.  How  to  remove  stains 85 

5.  A  good  selection  of  articles  for  the  home  laun- 

dry       86 

IX.  SOME  DISTINCTIVE  METHODS  OF  THE 

HOME  SCHOOL 

1.  Cleanliness  and  taste 88 

2.  Home  cooperation 89 

3.  Freedom  and  individuality .89 

4.  Initiative  and  invention 91 

5.  Breadth «...    91 

X.  CONCLUSION 

I.  The  home  school  and  the  essentials  of  a  pro- 
gressive life 94 


CAMBRIDGE  .  MASSACHUSETTS 
U  .   S   .  A 


THE  RIVERSIDE  EDUCATIONAL 
MONOGRAPHS 

GENERAL  EDUCATIONAL  THEORY 

DBWEY'S  INTEREST  AND  EFFORT  IN  EDUCATION.  In 
preparation. 

DEWEY'S  MORAL  PRINCIPLES  IN  EDUCATION 35 

ELIOT'S  EDUCATION  FOR  EFFICIENCY 35 

EMERSON'S  EDUCATION 35 

FISKE'S  THE  MEANING  OF  INFANCY 35 

HYDE'S  THE  TEACHER'S  PHILOSOPHY 35 

PALMER'S  THE  IDEAL  TEACHER 35 

TERMAN'STHE  TEACHER'S   HEALTH 60 

THORNDIKB'S  INDIVIDUALITY   35 

ADMINISTRATION  AND  SUPERVISION  OF  SCHOOLS 

BETTs'sNEW  IDEALS  IN  RURAL  SCHOOLS 60 

BLOOMFIELD'S  VOCATIONAL  GUIDANCE  OF  YOUTH...    .60 
CUBBERLBY'S   CHANGING    CONCEPTIONS  OF  EDUCA- 
TION  35 

CUBBERLEY'S  THE  IMPROVEMENT  OF  RURAL  SCHOOLS  .35 

PERRY'S  STATUS  OF  THE  TEACHER 35 

SNEDDEN'S  THE  PROBLEM  OF  VOCATIONAL  EDUCA- 

TION 35 

TROWBRIDGE'STHE  HOME  SCHOOL.    In  preparation. 
WEEKs'sTHE  PEOPLE'S  SCHOOL 60 

METHODS  OF  TEACHING 

BBTTS'S  THE  RECITATION 60 

CAMPAGNAC'S  THE  TEACHING  OF  COMPOSITION 35 

COOLBY'S  LANGUAGE  TEACHING  IN  THE  GRADES 35 

EARHART'S  TEACHING  CHILDREN  TO  STUDY 60 

EVANS'S     TEACHING     OF    HIGH     SCHOOL    MATHE- 
MATICS   35 

HALIBURTON  and  SMITH'S    TEACHING  POETRY  IN  THE 

GRADES 60 

HARTWELL'S  TEACH  ING  OF  HISTORY 35 

PALMER'S    ETHICAL   AND    MORAL    INSTRUCTION   IN 

THE  SCHOOLS 35 

PALMER'S  SELF-CULTIVATION  IN  ENGLISH 35 

SUZZALLO'S  TEACHING  OF  PRIMARY  ARITHMETIC 60 

SUZZALLO'S  TEACHING  OF  SPELLING 60 

HOUGHTON  MIFFLIN  COMPANY 

1116 


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